INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The body of an unidentified man was found Monday in a grassy area near 12th Street and Old Dixie Highway, prompting a death investigation, officials said.
The man’s death comes during a cold front that swept throughout the county over the Christmas holiday weekend. Temperatures in Vero plunged to the mid-30s overnight on Christmas Eve – Saturday – and Christmas Day – Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
Indian River County Fire Rescue crews responded to the discovery about 10:30 a.m., Fire Chief David Rattray said. The body was lying behind a concrete barrier, not far from a 7-Eleven convenience store, according to a witness.
Rattray said the man – in his 60s or 70s – was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office was not immediately available for comment. The man’s cause of death remains under investigation.