[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3530-3531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01538]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 [email protected].

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:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of two individuals of Native American ancestry.
     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