MIAMI -- Human remains were discovered Friday floating off Miami Shores, and police are investigating whether they are related to several similar discoveries in the last three days.

On Friday morning, police went to the area near Northeast 96th Street and North Bayshore Drive in Miami Shores, after receiving a report of a bag that might contain body parts.

"I saw the bag in the water," said Miami Shores resident Margaret Paul, who was walking with a friend. "My friend said, 'That's a body,' and I said, 'No way.' And she said, 'Yes, I'm telling you it's a body,' and I said, 'I don't think so,' and I kept on walking."

A boater who was navigating the waters of Biscayne Bay ultimately made the phone call to police. Investigators later confirmed that it did contain human remains.

"We're not sure if this is related to other parts that we've found thus far," said Detective Delrish Moss of the Miami Police Department. "There's some things that we need to do from a forensic standpoint, but we believe in all likelihood that it is. We believe that this is going to be more remains of the same person."

Several Gruesome Discoveries Made

The discoveries of human remains and bloody clothes began on Wednesday morning, when a pedestrian spotted a bag near the water's edge near the Pelican Harbor marina, on the north side of the island off the 79th Street Causeway.

The medical examiner confirmed that the remains belonged to a human being, and some of the body's parts were missing. There is no indication what condition the remains were in or how long they might have been in the water.

On Wednesday night, the medical examiner's office identified the victim as 21-year-old Osben Laparra.

Miami police said a second bag of remains was found in water near the 7800 block of Bayshore Court on Wednesday afternoon.

On Thursday morning, a crew that was cleaning Pompano Beach discovered a bag of bloody clothes.

The Miami Fire Department confirmed that body parts were found in the water Thursday morning in the 1000 block of Biscayne Boulevard. Investigators said the body parts appeared to be an arm and a leg.

More remains were found in the 600 block of Sabal Palm Road on Thursday afternoon. Miami police said they removed the body part and took it to the medical examiner's office.

All of the remains and items are believed to be from Laparra, who police believe was slain, Local 10's Terrell Forney reported.

"We believe that there's a very strong possibility that other parts will come forward. We have not recovered the body completely," Sgt. Confesor Gonzales of the Miami Police Department said Thursday afternoon.

As time winds down, police admit that the odds are stacked against them.

"The fact that there's water, the fact that days have gone by and decomposition occurs over the course of days, those things make it difficult but not impossible for us," Moss said. "I think ultimately we will get to the bottom of this."

Victim's Family Pleads For Tips

Laparra's family members made a tearful plea Thursday afternoon for help in finding his killer. His 22-year-old sister, Avila Laparra, said her brother had no enemies. He was a hardworking man, a soccer player and a construction worker.

"He didn't mess with anybody. I don't know what reason those people would have to have done that, and in that way," said family friend Stephanie Suazo.

Laparra disappeared on Saturday night. He was last seen at a Mexican bar off Southwest Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue in Miami.

"We know that he goes out on Saturday nights, but he always comes back. If it's at 2 o'clock in the morning, he comes back to his house," Suazo said.

Laparra, a native of Guatemala, lived in the U.S. for seven years. The Guatemalan Consulate announced Thursday it will pay to return his remains to Guatemala for a funeral.

Detectives said they are working a number of leads, but they have not made any arrests.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Miami Police Department.