DNA testing may shed light on Black segregated graves in Naples

NAPLES, Fla. — This Black History Month, Fox 4 will celebrate the achievements that have shaped communities across Southwest Florida.

In February, our community correspondents will connect with community trailblazers and changemakers. We'll share stories that honor Black influence, excellence and leadership.

More than 150 years after the end of slavery in the United States, the story behind a small gravesite in Collier County remains a mystery, but that may soon change.

The site, long known to locals, contains eight unmarked graves believed to be the final resting place of formerly enslaved African Americans. Located near the corner of Goodlette-Frank Road and Pine Ridge Road, the graves are an extension of the historic Rosemary Cemetery off U.S. 41.

While the burial ground has been part of the community’s landscape for decades, much about the individuals buried there remains unknown.

Recently, Collier County formally recognized the segregated section as the resting place of eight unknown Black slaves — and that acknowledgment has renewed efforts to learn their names and stories.

The Collier County NAACP said new research may help move that effort forward, including the possibility of DNA testing.

“We are not ruling out DNA testing and that is what we are considering right now,” said Vincent Keeys, president of the Collier County NAACP.

Keeys said identifying the remains would be a complicated and lengthy process that could involve exhumation.

“It involves getting a sample of the bone fragment because a lot of times you have to dig up the body,” he said.

According to Keeys, any DNA testing would require collaboration with a genealogical society and petitions to both the state and Collier County. He said gaining approval to dig at the site could take no less than a year.

Even so, Keeys believes the effort could provide long-overdue answers and healing.

“It’s part of the healing that we all need. Everyone needs to know the truth, everyone needs to reconnect with their family members who have been lost. These people have been lost for a long time – but they can be found,” Keeys said.

For now, the unmarked graves stand as a reminder of what Keeys describes as an ongoing fight for dignity and recognition.

“We want them to have dignity and respect in death, even like African Americans are fighting for dignity and respect in life,” he said.

Despite the unknown ahead, Keeys said there is optimism that the mystery surrounding the graves will one day be resolved.

“We’re optimistic that we will find out who these people are,” he said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.