Trukita Scott vanished in 2014 after leaving work and missing daycare pickup.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Police said Tuesday that human remains found in a Miami backyard are those of Trukita Scott, a 24-year-old mother of two who vanished in 2014 after leaving work in Broward County.
The announcement gave Scott’s family its first confirmed answer in a case that had stayed open for nearly 12 years. Investigators said the remains were found May 12 at a home in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood. Police have not announced charges in Scott’s death, and several key details, including the cause of death, remain unknown.
Scott was last seen June 25, 2014, after leaving her job at U-Haul in the Fort Lauderdale area. She was expected to pick up her two young children from daycare but never arrived, prompting relatives to call police. Investigators said her family knew quickly that her disappearance did not fit her life or habits. Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy Detective Steve Novak said officers also believed early on that Scott had not left on her own. At a Tuesday news conference at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Scott’s father, Charles Scott, said the family had spent years trying to understand what happened. “It’s been a long 12 years,” he said.
Investigators said new information led them to a property in the 7500 block of Northeast First Court in Miami, where remains were found buried in the yard. Police said Scott had met with Carl Monty Watts, her former boyfriend and the father of one of her children, before activity on her cellphone stopped. Her car, a gold Nissan Altima, was later found in Liberty City in July 2014. Authorities said Tuesday the car had been partially burned, an act they believe was meant to hide or destroy evidence. Police said Watts had been interviewed several times over the years and had denied involvement. He has not been charged in Scott’s death.
Scott’s disappearance drew attention across South Florida because of the sudden break in her daily routine and because relatives insisted she would not have walked away from her children. Missing-person records described her as a Fort Lauderdale-area worker who also had done home health work and wanted to become a police officer. She had taken part in a ride-along with Miami Gardens police shortly before she disappeared. Family members said she was working, raising children and planning for the future when she vanished. For years, the case moved through tips, searches and interviews without the one thing relatives wanted most: a confirmed location for Scott.
Watts, now 49, is already behind bars in another case. Authorities have said he was convicted in the killing of his wife, Shandell Harris, who was fatally shot in 2022 at a North Miami Beach community center after she had been attacked the day before. Police and relatives also have linked Watts by relationship to another woman, Vickie Simmons, who was killed in 2009 at a Miami motel. He has not been charged in Scott’s death or in Simmons’ killing. Investigators said Watts made statements during a recent court proceeding that helped lead police to the place where Scott’s remains were found, but officials did not publicly detail the full statement.
Scott’s relatives stood with police Tuesday as they described years of grief and anger. Lynnette Finnie, Scott’s aunt, said the family still wants accountability, not only identification of the remains. She said the discovery answered where Scott was but not who killed her or why. Charles Scott said knowing where his daughter was found brings some movement after years of uncertainty, though not full closure. Family members said Scott’s children grew up without their mother and with questions that no one could fully answer. Police said the case is now moving from a missing-person investigation toward a death investigation, with more work ahead.
Fort Lauderdale police and partner agencies are continuing to review evidence tied to Scott’s disappearance, the Little Haiti property and the people connected to her final known movements. Officials have not said whether additional searches are planned at the property or when forensic findings will be complete. As of Wednesday, May 20, no new charge had been announced in Scott’s death.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.