INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Officials continue to investigate a case where two fishermen discovered the body of a missing 44-year-old man that washed up along the shoreline Monday in northern Indian River County.
Indian River deputies initially said the man – missing for about two days – was from Palm Bay. Deputies later clarified the man was living at the Sebastian Sands Motel and had previously lived in Palm Bay.
“We used rapid ID fingerprint scanner to identify the man (at the scene),” said sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Jaworksi, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. “Once we had an identification, detectives reached out to Palm Bay police, who advised his mother was calling in to report him missing.”
Indian River County detectives arrived at the mother’s door not long after she dialed 911 to report her son missing, Jaworski said. A missing person report had not yet been generated because the mother, who lives in Micco, was already notified of the death.
“He had not been seen for approximately 48 hours,” Jaworski said. “We are not releasing his name just yet to allow the family time to make phone calls to extended family.”
Fishermen dial 911 after discovering body
Deputies continued to investigate what they called a suspicious death after the body was found about 2 p.m. Monday, July 6 along the shoreline near U.S. 1 and the Sebastian River Bridge. Jaworski said Indian River County deputies learned overnight that Palm Bay police were working a missing person case.
“We have been in contact with their detectives and the family,” Jaworski said.
The man’s body was found on the southwest corner of the Sebastian River Bridge, not far from the Sebastian Sands Motel where he had been staying, Jaworski said. There were no visible signs of trauma to the body, according to Jaworski.
Sheriff’s officials on Tuesday released audio from a 911 call from a man who was fishing with his cousin when they said they saw the body lying face down.
“We were about to walk in the water. My cousin said it looks like there’s somebody lying down there resting. I said, ‘He looks dead,'” the man told a dispatcher. “It’s a person. He’s lying face down. (His body) has changed colors.”
Audio provided by Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
The fishermen discovered the body not far from the north Indian River County border. Deputies responded to the scene and confirmed the man was dead, Jaworski said.
“Detectives and crime scene investigators arrived shortly after and began investigating the death,” Jaworski said. “At this time, it is unknown how the man came to be in this location or what caused his death.”
In the nearly three-minute audio, the fisherman described the body as belonging to a white male. The fisherman said it looked like the body had been in the area for a while.
It was not immediately clear if the man had drowned. The medical examiner responded to the scene and will conduct an autopsy.
“Any time we can’t immediately determine how someone came to be in a location or what led to their death, we treat it as suspicious out of an abundance of caution while detectives work to establish the facts,” Jaworski said.
Anyone with information on the death should contact the sheriff’s office at 772-569-6700. Callers can remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a cash reward by contacting Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-TIPS or tcwatch.org.
