Jamie Lynn Donavon McDonald, 62, disappeared on May 1, 2024 and some of her body was found in June 14, 2024 in a drainage ditch near her home Homosassa, Florida
The extreme lengths a daughter went to to find her mum’s missing bones after she was killed and dumped in a ditch has cost her tens of thousands of pounds.
Jamie Lynn Donavon McDonald, 62, disappeared on May 1, 2024 and some of her body was found in June 14, 2024 in a drainage ditch near her home Homosassa, Florida. Her family believe the beloved foster carer became dependent on prescription drugs from a back injury six years ago. And reports say that “desperation” for drugs led her into danger.
Two people – Luequita Sclesky, 32, and her husband, 38-year-old Duane David Sclesky – have been charged with her murder, and that of another man, Kenneth Zickendrath, 68. Detectives allege they then used stolen information to access their bank accounts. They are due to go to trial but a date has yet to be set.
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Not all of Jamie’s bones have been recovered and daughter Hope Yates-McDonald, 32, is determined to find them all. She has taught herself to scuba dive, used sniffer dogs and an otter – trained to detect human bones – and has recovered 15 of her mom’s bones so far.
Radiology student Hope, from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, said: “The last year and a half of my life has revolved around recovering my mum. I’ve learned underwater recovery, worked with forensic experts – everything. Right now, I’m still looking for her. I’m still busy. Once I find the rest of her, I think I’ll be able to accept that she’s gone.
“Mum was in a car accident, she hurt her back real bad, so the doctor prescribed her an unnecessary amount of pain medicine. I don’t want that to be a memory of my mum, her addiction, but it kind of just spiralled for her and led her to mixing up with the wrong people.”
Hope added: “She was gentle and kind. When I think of my mum, I think of empathy. She cared for everything – people, animals, even bugs. She was the sun. There wasn’t a day without contact, so when we couldn’t get hold of her, we immediately knew something was wrong.”
Jamie’s family told the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) they hadn’t heard from her from her and she was formally declared missing on May 12. Police arrested the Sclesky’s on June 14, 2024 after investigations led them to find two bodies – one belonging to Jamie – in connection with the couple.
Both were arrested and charged with two counts of 1st degree murder, and Luequita was also charged with 75 counts of misuse of personal identification of a deceased person, fraudulent use of a credit card and unlawful use of two-way communication device.
Duane was also charged with trafficking in fentanyl and possession of paraphernalia/various narcotics. Hope said: “It was a relief that she wasn’t missing anymore, but then I learned how violently she had been killed. They thought my mum wouldn’t have anyone looking for her. They didn’t realise we would never stop.”
Hope was able to visit the ditch where her mum had been found in June 2024, so she could visit the site and leave flowers. After looking in the creek she found bones. She said: “I saw bones at the bottom, in the middle of the water. I accidentally discovered the first missing bone of my mothers – we didn’t even know she was missing them.”
Medical teams returned to the scene, but Hope says she struggled to get clear answers about whether all of her mum’s remains had been recovered. Hope said: “I even called an attorney. There were rumours of more victims and so I needed to know – were these my mum’s bones? They confirmed they were.”
Jamie had decomposed from the wrists down, and some bones had been lost in the moving water. She said: “I couldn’t leave her there, I didn’t want to lose parts of her in that drainage ditch.”
When authorities said they could not allocate further resources to recovery, Hope took matters into her own hands. She began learning underwater recovery techniques. She took up scuba diving and trained herself in search methods suitable for low-visibility water.She said: “When you step into that creek, you lose vision immediately. I’ve used stretchers, floats – I’ve even searched with my hands.”
She has worked with dogs trained to locate human remains and even befriended a rescue otter named Splash – trained to detect bones underwater. Since June, Hope has recovered 15 bones. She believes 10 to 12 are still missing, including finger bones (phalanges), wrist bones (carpals), and a metacarpal.
Hope reached out to forensic anthropologists across the world, including in the UK, to determine exactly which bones were still unaccounted for. She said: “I gathered everything we had, and they helped identify what was missing. The most recent bones were found in October with help from non-profit organisations.”
Hope says the search has cost her everything. She sold her home and moved into an apartment to fund it. She has spent at least $10,000 to $15,000, a figure she expects will rise. She created a GoFundMe page to support the recovery efforts but has not widely promoted it.
She has started specialised trauma therapy to cope. She said: “The grief hits at different speeds. It’s crippling and overwhelming. My birthday was recently and there was only one person I wanted to speak to. My mum. I can’t leave her abandoned.”
Hope believes finding every remaining bone will allow her to fully grieve. She is also preparing to face her mum’s accused killers in court. She said: “I want them to know who she was. She was the sun, and that’s what they took. If I could tell them something, I would tell them this – you took something that is not replaceable. What you did will not go unnoticed, and I will not stop until I bring my mum home.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe page by clicking here.
