Human remains discovered in Brentwood sump, Suffolk police say

Human remains were discovered Monday in a sump in Brentwood, Suffolk police said.

At around 10:55 a.m., Suffolk County police officers responded to a report of human remains at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Bancroft Road in Brentwood, police said.

The remains were transported to the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner in Hauppauge, where staff will work to identify them and determine the cause of death, Suffolk police said.

The sump in which the remains were discovered has long been of concern to the neighborhood, said Jose Martinez, who owns Power Team Realty Corp. next to the wooded area.

"You see a lot of people moving and sleeping in the woods right there," he said.

In recent weeks, Martinez said he saw mice and rats in the rear of his property, which he believes come from the sump. He said he contacted both the Town of Islip and Suffolk County to address the blighted area.

"They started cleaning maybe around three or four days ago," Martinez said, referring to maintenance crews he said the county sent to the area.

"As a business owner I’m concerned," he added. "I don’t know ... who was killed or died there. It’s kind of crazy."

Homeless people have also been spotted "drinking alone" outside in wooded or open areas throughout the neighborhood, including the Brentwood Long Island Rail Road station, according to Nelson Almonte, the manager of the Gala Foods Supermarket on Fifth Avenue.

The discovery of the remains and the ensuing police presence at the busy intersection on Monday was "something out of a movie," Almonte said.

"They closed the street for three or four hours," he said, adding that the grocery store had less foot traffic than normal while the scene was under investigation.

Homicide detectives are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the remains, police said. Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding the remains to call the homicide squad at 631-852-6392.