The Lee County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit received information from 45-year-old Daniel Proctor about the location of a body Tuesday in a densely wooded area near Howard Road and Bahama Way in Bokeelia.
The Forensics Unit is excavating the remains, which will be turned over to the District 21 medical examiner for an autopsy to determine positive identification and cause of death.
The Sheriff's Office death investigation continues.
Sheriff's Office detectives had been in Alabama to testify in the trial of Proctor a former Bokeelia resident, who was arrested at at 3:45 a.m. Sept. 5, 2011, in Okeechobee after being found sleeping in a stolen vehicle. He was then extradited to Alabama on a warrant for grand theft auto and theft of a firearm.
Earlier, investigators identified Proctor as a suspect in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Amy Patterson, a middle school teacher with the Lee County School District. She was reported missing in July 2011 when she did not show up July 25 for the start of the school year.
Detectives said they suspected she was the victim of a domestic homicide. Proctor had fled in her vehicle, which was recovered in Alabama. He allegedly stole another vehicle, a 1997 Ford Explorer, and a .380 handgun before leaving a note indicating he was en route back to Florida.
Proctor has now been convicted on the charges in Alabama.
