Dad of 4 last seen at college drop-off is found dead a year later, Florida cops say
_fitted.png "Jason Winoker was last seen Aug. 17, 2021. His remains were found Oct. 17, Florida police say.")
Remains found in Tallahassee have been identified as a dad who was last seen in August 2021, according to Florida police.
Preliminary investigations revealed that skeletal remains found along Apalachee Parkway belong to Jason Winoker, Tallahassee Police Department officers said in a Facebook post. The remains were found in a heavily wooded area Monday, Oct. 17, and were immediately reported to law enforcement.
Winoker was last seen Aug. 17, 2021, in Tallahassee, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. He was 52 at the time.
The husband and father of four left a hotel room he was sharing with his wife at about 1 a.m. Aug. 17, according to a Sept. 13, 2021, Facebook post from his wife. Winoker struggled with insomnia, so his wife assumed he was going for a walk. She began to panic when her husband had not returned by evening.
The hotel is less than a mile from where Winoker’s remains were found.
Winoker and his family are from Tampa but were in Tallahassee dropping one of his children off at Florida State University, WCTV reported.
In the months since he has vanished, Winoker’s wife has continued her search and has called for the public’s help locating her husband.
“Our 22nd wedding anniversary is in a few days. My heart is so broken,” she wrote in a March 25 post. “We miss him every day and are still hoping and praying for a miracle.”
Since the news of his remains being discovered, Facebook users have taken to a group, “Missing Jason,” to share their condolences.
“So very sad to see this news today. I have been holding on to hope that he would be located alive and well,” one user posted.
“I am without words, and my heart and my love go out to you and your family,” another user said.
Police said the investigation remains open.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Dad of 4 last seen at college drop-off is found dead a year later, Florida cops say."
