Body from pond identified

Tim Chipley was friendly, quiet and a martial artist.

By JESSICA VANDER VELDE, Times Staff Writer
Published February 3, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Authorities did not say Saturday whether the death of Tim Chipley, 34, was a criminal act.

CARROLLWOOD - Sheriff's officials identified the body found Friday in a lake at an apartment complex as Tim Chipley, who had been missing since Jan. 27.

Chipley, 34, was identified Saturday afternoon by a tattoo on his shoulder and by his clothes, which were the same jeans, blue and white shirt and boots he was wearing when he was last seen Jan. 27 about 2:15 a.m. at O'Brien's Irish Pub on N Dale Mabry Highway.

Investigators are awaiting an autopsy report to determine a cause of death. They haven't said whether they suspect criminal activity.

Friends and co-workers searched for him when he didn't show up for his Wednesday flight to Thailand, where he was going for Muay Thai kickboxing training.

Searchers combed the woods near Country Wood Apartments on Thursday, even going to the lake, said Todd Dahlke, a friend and co-worker of Chipley's at Nuccio Air Conditioning. They didn't find anything, he said.

Chipley's body was found just before 5 p.m. on Friday after a driver pulled up, pointed to the water and said "dead body" in Spanish. Three boys sitting near the pond heard him and saw the body. Luciano Massari, 15, gave his phone to a friend, who called 911. Chipley's friends had gathered for a vigil around the same time and soon learned of the discovery.

Country Wood Apartments residents are still surprised that a body was found in the lake in their back yards. They wonder how long it was there, a question the Sheriff's Office doesn't have an answer for yet.

Robert Sherouse, 42, fishes almost every day from the wooden bridge that crosses the lake. He was even out Friday at 4 p.m., just before Chipley was found, but he said he never saw any sign of a body.

Sherouse said he saw Chipley four to five nights each week at O'Brien's Irish Pub. They never talked, but he could tell that Chipley was a nice, quiet guy.

That's the part that puzzles friends and co-workers. They say Chipley wasn't the type to confront people or start fights. He didn't drink heavily either, said his boss, Joe Nuccio.

Ben Lewis, 41, of Winter Haven, was a close friend and a former roommate of Chipley's. He said "Chip" was easy to get along with.

"He didn't get upset about stuff," Lewis said. "You could kid with him, and he wouldn't get mad."

Dahlke said whether Chipley died from an accident or foul play, it doesn't matter because "it's still not going to change the fact that Timmy's not here."

A dive team from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office searched the murky bottom of the lake Saturday "to cover all bases," dive team leader Allen Dekle said.

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said they didn't find anything in the lake.

While the team worked in the 9-foot deep lake, Nancy Backstrom, 12, and her mom sat nearby and watched to show support for Chipley's family because Nancy Backstrom is close with Chipley's niece, Ally Campbell.

Backstrom was with Campbell on Friday night when Campbell got a text message saying that a body was found that was probably her uncle.

"She just broke down and started crying," Backstrom said.

Lewis, Chipley's former roommate, remembers good times with his friend, who he said was like a brother. He said Chipley was athletic and made a lot of friends through baseball and at the gym.

"He was just a real loyal friend," Lewis said. "That's the best thing I could say."

Times staff writer Rodney Thrash contributed to this report. Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at jvandervelde@sptimes.com or 813 661-2443.

[Last modified February 2, 2008, 23:24:17]