A Manhasset high school track runner found skeletal human remains in a Long Island park Thursday, and clothing at the scene has led police to a possible link with a 79-year-old woman missing since late 2025.
A teenage boy running with his school track team spotted the remains in the brush and trails behind Plandome Pond Park in Manhasset, New York, on Thursday afternoon. Nassau County Police Department detectives from the Homicide Squad responded to the wooded area at 192 Lindberg Street, with official details logged at 5:44 p.m. on October 1, 2026.
Local reporting described the discovery as skeletal human remains located in the park’s wooded section. The investigation remains open as authorities work to confirm identity.
Police have pointed to a possible connection with Shi Hua Xu, a 79-year-old Great Neck resident who left her home in late 2025 and never returned. Xu had dementia and often took long walks. She was not wearing her tracker when she disappeared. A community search followed her vanishing.
Family members positively identified a piece of clothing found at the scene as belonging to Xu. Officials are still determining whether the remains are hers. Full forensic confirmation has not been announced.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the remains were female. He added that investigators do not believe anything criminal occurred. The department’s news release confirmed the basic facts of the find and noted the case is ongoing.
The Nassau County Police Department stated: “The Homicide Squad reports the details of an investigation that occurred on Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 5:44 pm in Manhasset. According to detectives, skeletal human remains were located in a wooded area of Plandome Pond Park located at 192 Lindberg Street. The investigation is ongoing.”
"The Homicide Squad reports the details of an investigation that occurred on Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 5:44 pm in Manhasset. According to detectives, skeletal human remains were located in a wooded area of Plandome Pond Park located at 192 Lindberg Street. The investigation is ongoing."
Neighbor Diana Cotumaccio, who lives near the park, described the sudden police presence. She has lived in the area for 30 years.
"Last night there were several cop cars along with police officers, and they indicated to me there were remains in the park. I’m here 30 years and this is a new one for me."
Plandome Heights Mayor Kenneth Riscica spoke about the young runner who made the discovery. Detectives checked on the teen afterward. The mayor relayed the boy’s reply.
"When the detectives asked him how he was doing, his response was ‘I’m doing fine. I only hope this brings closure to a family that lost someone.'"
The student was part of the Manhasset High School track team, according to local coverage of the scene. He found the remains while running the trails and brush behind the park.
Xu’s disappearance stretched from late 2025 into the following year. Her routine walks and the missing tracker left few immediate leads. The clothing match now gives her family and police a concrete path to pursue while identification work continues.
When a high-school runner finds bones in a suburban park and the first thought he voices is hope for a grieving family, the rest of the story belongs to the facts still being sorted, and to the people who never stopped looking.
