Human remains found in Long Island woods

Image 1 of 2

Police and federal agents searched a wooded area in Roosevelt, Long Island. They found the body of a man. (Fox 5 News)

Police say human remains found during a search last week on Long Island after getting a tip from federal law enforcement officials have been identified as that of a 16-year-old reported missing in July.

Nassau County police say Angel Soler, of Roosevelt, was last seen leaving his home on a bicycle. Police on Sunday confirmed that his remains were found in a 27-acre wooded area in the hamlet of Roosevelt.

The search of woods by dozens of detectives and federal agents right off the Southern State Parkway came  after receiving information from the Department of Homeland Security.

"Our homicide investigators have been in there since yesterday starting to go through a very large area, wooded, overgrown area," Acting Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.

At a news conference on Friday afternoon, he said police dogs have found a few other areas in the woods that police are going to investigate. He added that news reports that multiple bodies had been found were inaccurate.

The multi-agency effort involving the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations have been searching the 27-acre area of difficult terrain.

"We've searched a lot of wooded areas over the last several months. As these tips come, we have to run them all down," Ryder said. "This is just another tip that we received. It's a little bit more detailed so that's why we're putting as much resources as you see behind us."

Olayinka Phillips lives nearby. He said it is a close-knit community and he has seen people who don't belong here. He said he has seen people not from the neighborhood go into the woods at night.