Human remains discovered in a Long Island park may provide a breakthrough in a missing persons investigation that has lasted over a year. Authorities said a member of a local high school track team found skeletal remains Thursday evening while running through Plandome Pond Park in Manhasset.

According to the Nassau County Police Department, the discovery occurred around 5:45 p.m. when the runner, who is also an Eagle Scout, noticed the bones concealed in the underbrush. Police are currently investigating whether the remains are those of Shi Hua Xu, a 79-year-old woman from nearby Great Neck who disappeared in December 2025.

Xu, who has dementia, was known to frequently walk the neighborhood. On the day she went missing, she was reportedly not wearing the tracking device typically used to monitor her movements. Despite extensive search efforts by her family and authorities, she had not been seen since that day.

Officials confirmed that a piece of clothing recovered at the site has been positively identified by Xu’s family as belonging to her. The police department is conducting further tests to confirm the identity of the remains and to determine the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

The discovery has offered hope to Xu’s family after more than a year of uncertainty. Investigators continue to examine the scene and are working to piece together the events leading up to her disappearance.