A 45-year-old man is facing murder charges and accused in a separate double shooting. Meanwhile, a state investigation into the potential disturbance of a Putnam County cemetery has been closed because the burial ground is exempt, sparking outrage from historians who say dozens of unmarked graves remain.
A 45-year-old man, James Antonio Hunter, has been charged with the murder of 33-year-old Sierra McKenzie and a separate double shooting just days earlier. News4JAX has learned that a state investigation into the potential disturbance of a Putnam County cemetery has been closed because the burial ground is exempt. However, historians are now pushing back against the state's decision, arguing that dozens of individuals remain buried in unmarked graves .
The case began last month when the cemetery was leveled. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Financial Services launched an investigation. Zillow listings had described the property as a ‘historical property’ in Florida with ‘versatile potential.’ The site was an 1800s cemetery. Recent drone footage shows the abandoned cemetery has been leveled, with overgrown vegetation cleared out after the property was sold last year. The new out-of-state owner told authorities he planned to place a mobile home on the property. Historians, including Bill Blair, the secretary of the Florida Confederation for the Preservation of Historic Sites, argue that the land should be protected as a historic site and no construction should occur. Blair stated that the site was a community cemetery used by poor residents of the Mason Denver area, many of whom were buried without markers. He emphasized the importance of preserving the historical significance of the site and preventing further damage. The Division of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services has limited authority over exempt or unlicensed cemeteries. Blair expressed disappointment that the state could not assist in protecting the site, despite state law prohibiting the destruction of cemeteries. He urged for a halt to any further construction on the property and called for the preservation of the remaining unmarked graves
CEMETERY DISTURBANCE HISTORICAL SITE UNMARKED GRAVES LEGAL EXEMPTIONS PUTNAM COUNTY
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