INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – A medical examiner’s findings will be used to determine what led to the death of a man whose body was found in a retention pond over the weekend, authorities said.
A medical examiner’s report was being sought to answer questions surrounding the discovery of the body found in a locked retention area behind the 5500 20th Street store, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office officials said.
“A Sam (Club) employee went outside the back of the store during break and observed what appeared to be a body floating in the retention pond south of the store,” Sergeant Kevin Jaworski said.
After interviewing homeless people in the area, detectives discovered the man’s identity but did not release it until family members were notified, Jaworski said.
The employee called 911 and said he reported the discovery Sunday around 5:30 p.m. The body was believed to have been in the water for at least two days, he said.
After looking into the man’s history, detectives discovered that “he had a long history of mental health issues.”
Multiple homeless encampments were searched in an attempt to find anyone who knew the man’s identity, and Jaworski those interviewed by detectives said he was last seen three days before the body’s discovery.
“It’s an active investigation,” he said.
Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. To follow @coreyarwood at X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246.
More: Monday’s Indian River County sheriff’s debate draws a crowd, including the incumbent president and three rivals
More: Forum for St. Lucie County Sheriff candidates postponed
More: $11.5 million for Treasure Coast projects vetoed from the state budget, primarily in St. Lucie
This article originally appeared in Treasure Coast Newspapers: IRCSO: Medical examiner to identify man’s cause of death after body found in pond
