Human remains found on Kings Beach

SWAMPSCOTT – The mother of missing Swampscott resident Jaimee Mendez endured a chilly and tear-stained vigil Wednesday as police investigated and removed human remains from Kings Beach without confirming their identity.Police transported the remains to the office of the chief medical examiner in Boston for identification, said Essex District Attorney spokeswoman Carrie Kimball Monahan.For Michelle Mendez, the hours of waiting began shortly after 10 a.m. – two hours after Swampscott Police Det. Sgt. Timothy Cassidy said a dog walker spotted the remains next to two lobster pots lying on Kings Beach by the seawall near the Lynn-Swampscott line.Her relatives last saw Jaimee Mendez Nov. 6. They told reporters Mendez called a friend to pick her up but was nowhere to be found. Police launched searches for Mendez on Nov. 8, after she was officially reported missing. They have updated family members on search efforts during the last three months as they searched Floating Bridge Pond in Lynn and a wooded area in Salem near the Swampscott line.Mendez’ mother spent four hours Wednesday talking to police, huddling with friends and family and accepting hugs from police officers as Swampscott and State Police investigators concentrated their work on a patch of sand about 70 feet away from a large sewerage pipe opening in the seawall.Police walked the beach from the investigation site to the water’s edge several times during the morning and scoured the beach edge below Hawthorne by the Sea restaurant. Police closed Lynn Shore Drive on the Lynn-Swampscott line at 11 a.m. and detoured drivers to Eastern Avenue and Ocean Street while heavy machinery rolled down the beach ramp onto the sand.A front-end loader scooped up sand at the water’s edge while investigators watched and then moved to the investigation site where it spent more than a half hour digging. Michelle Mendez stood on the hood of her car watching as police carefully guided the excavated material to a Swampscott DPW dump truck, which was driven away from the beach, escorted by police, with the material in its bed covered with a tarpaulin.”I am not sure what the material was, but I believe they were just trying to get all remains and anything that may have washed up with them for examination,” Monahan said.After the truck left the scene, Mendez talked to police for a few minutes before driving off. She did not respond to questions about the investigation. Monahan said the DA’s office will release information today if “the ME has any findings.”