The search for human remains is underway in Okeechobee at the former site of the Florida School for Boys.
Allegations of abuse surfaced after a federal probe found dozens of bodies at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna.
The Okeechobee School for Boys was a reform school that would take the overflow of students from Dozier in the panhandle. Dozier was plagued with accusations of abuse for over a century before it finally closed in 2011.
In a recent report, 51 graves -- most unmarked -- were found on Dozier’s school property and there could be even more bodies waiting to be discovered.
Anthropologists are still trying to identify the remains to one day return them to family members. Reports said the boys were subjected to severe beatings and abuse, but the school did not often report deaths.
State police conducted their own investigation of the school five years ago and found there was no criminal wrongdoing. But now new evidence continues to cast doubt on that 2009 probe and lawmakers are calling for a federal investigation.
University of South Florida researchers are returning to the Dozier School for Boys in the panhandle this month to continue excavating the campus in search of answers.
Meanwhile, law enforcement will be canvassing the former site of Dozier’s sister campus in Okeechobee.
Cadaver dogs will search for potential human remains starting Tuesday and will possibly shed more light on the disciplinary practices used at this former reform school for boys.