MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – For years, they were just case numbers in a Monroe County file. Now, thanks to the relentless march of genetic technology, two sets of human remains discovered in the Florida Keys have finally been identified, bringing a quiet end to mysteries that began in 2014.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced that investigators, working alongside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), successfully utilized advanced genetic genealogy to identify the men involved in two completely separate, unresolved cases.
“I want to thank the hard work by the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and the FDLE for providing closure to the families in these two cases,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “Even when cases go cold, we remain committed to providing justice and solace to those affected.”
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The Storm Victim
The first case dates back to the devastation of Hurricane Irma. On September 14, 2017, amidst the aftermath of the storm, human remains were discovered near 2nd Street on Big Pine Key. Due to the condition of the body, visual identification was impossible at the time.
While an autopsy later determined the cause of death was accidental drowning, the man’s name remained unknown.
Traditional DNA testing hit a wall in late 2023 when samples sent to state crime labs returned no leads. Investigators didn’t give up. By June 2025, they forwarded the case to Othram Inc., a private lab specializing in advanced DNA sequencing. That move paid off. In December 2025, genetic genealogy research located potential relatives, confirming the remains belonged to James Donald Schlake, 77, of Key Largo.
The Mystery at Breezy Pines
The second identification solved a puzzle that had stumped authorities for over a decade. In April 2014, remains were found inside a unit at the Breezy Pines RV Estates on Big Pine Key.
Unlike the Irma case, this investigation was complicated by bureaucratic confusion. The man was tentatively identified as Igor Kolomiets, 52, but inconsistencies in immigration records stalled the official confirmation. Federal records showed multiple people with that name, including two who had crossed the border after the body was found.
Detectives had to work backward to rule out the others. Through a review with Homeland Security Investigations, they determined the other “Igors” had different birthdates. The decedent’s records stopped cold after a 1997 entry into Miami.
By cross-referencing a 1997 driver’s license photo and a 2013 incident at a local Winn-Dixie—where Kolomiets was escorted back to the same RV park where the body was later found—investigators confirmed his identity.
Both families have now been notified, closing the book on two of Monroe County’s lingering questions.
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