The remains of a woman who went missing over a decade ago have been discovered, authorities said.
Fort Lauderdale Police officers presented the devastating update at a news conference on Tuesday morning.
According to investigators, Scott’s remains were discovered in the yard of a Little Haiti residence in early May.
Trukita Scott was reported missing in June 2014. She was last seen leaving her job at U-Haul in Fort Lauderdale and has never been heard from since.
Authorities began looking for Scott when she failed to return home or pick up her two children from daycare.
“Shortly after, we in law enforcement concurred that something was wrong.” That Trukita did not leave her home,” stated Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy Det. Steve Novak.
Her family was afraid of what might happen. Over 11 years later, their worst worries came true.
Scott’s family was there for the news conference. A bereaved aunt delivered an unfiltered message from Scott’s mother.
“For 11 years, 10 months, and 44 days, my daughter was someone’s lawn fertilizer, and you tell me nobody saw anything?” Lynnette Finnie said.
The breakthrough provides relief to the family, who were yearning for answers.
“My grandson has grown up questioning his mother’s love, wondering if she loves him,” Finnie added as she read the victim’s mother’s statement.
Since the search for Scott began, her car has been found partially burned near Miami, but there is no trace of the victim.
Her family had long assumed that her ex-boyfriend and child’s father, Carl Monty Watts, was involved in her abduction, but he consistently denied it.
According to police, Monty Watts has a history of trouble. Months before his disappearance, Scott was seen on security footage attempting to abduct a teenager from a bus stop. He eventually turned himself in but bonded out of jail.
Years later, in 2022, detectives said Monty Watts walked into the pool area of the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center in northeast Miami-Dade and shot his then-wife Shandell Harris while she was watching her daughter take a swimming lesson.
He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder following the event.
According to authorities, Monty Watts chose to speak up in April while serving a 45-year sentence for Scott’s murder in 2022.
“During recent court proceedings, Watts made admissions regarding his involvement in Trukita’s disappearance and ultimately provided us with information that led to the location where she had been buried,” Novak added.
Her family noted that as they await more developments in the case, they would always remember their loved one as a wonderful person.
“Today and always, we choose to remember Trukita Scott for the love she gave, the lives she touched, and the light she brought into this world,” Finnie added.
As of late Tuesday, Monty Watts had not been charged in Scott’s disappearance.
Detectives stated their investigation is still underway, and they will collaborate closely with the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution on any criminal charges.
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