Notice2026-01538
Notice of Inventory Completion: Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, FL
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 27, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Florida Department of State (FDOS) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3530-3531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01538]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6890; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041888; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Florida Department of State,
Tallahassee, FL
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Florida Department of State (FDOS) has
completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there
is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes
or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or
after February 26, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
in this notice to Tea Kaplan, Florida Department of State, 2100 W
Tennessee Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d185b4b0ff9ab0a1bdb0bf91b5bea2ffb7bdffb6bea7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f9ad9c98d7b29889959897b99d968ad79f95d79e968f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA.
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the
FDOS, and additional information on the determinations in this notice,
including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or
related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Ancestral
remains were transferred to the Florida Department of State under
872.05, Florida Statutes from the Leon County Sheriff's Office, after
they were discovered on the dry lakebed of Lake Jackson, Tallahassee,
Florida. Initially, the remains were investigated as a medicolegal case
by Law Enforcement, including isotopic analyses of radiocarbon and
oxygen to determine age and origination. These analyses concluded that
the remains were archaeological. An anonymous tip to the police further
identified that the remains were archaeological, and were originally
excavated from two unknown sites, one in Arkansas and one in Missouri
by a private citizen. The anonymous tip specifically lists the Caddo
Nation as the affiliated Tribe of these remains. Forensic isotopic data
(collected as a part of the Law Enforcement investigation) further
indicated that the remains originated from Arkansas and Missouri. No
known hazardous substances are present.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location or acquisition history of the human remains described in this
notice.
Determinations
The FDOS has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of two individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> There is a connection between the human remains described
in this notice and the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this
notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this
notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a
preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal
descendant or an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the human remains described in this notice to a
requestor may occur on or after February 26, 2026. If competing
requests for repatriation are received, the FDOS must determine the
most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint
repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request and
not competing requests. The FDOS is responsible for sending a copy of
this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations
identified in this notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
[[Page 3531]]
Dated: January 15, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-01538 Filed 1-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 27, 2026.
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