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Wildlife officer finds a body in parked car
By JAMIE MALERNEE © St. Petersburg Times, published April 5, 2001 An officer with the Florida Fish and Game Commission saw the Ford Bronco parked on the side of Ayers Road and thought it looked suspicious. Maybe, he thought Tuesday morning, a poacher had parked there, officials said. But when he looked inside the vehicle, he saw something very different. Inside was the body of a middle-age man, dead from a gunshot wound. The body appeared to have been dead a few days. "It is definitely foul play," said sheriff's spokesman Lt. Joe Paez. "It does not appear to be a suicide." Authorities think they know the man's identity but declined to release it Tuesday until they are "100 percent sure." An autopsy is set for today. They said the victim is thought to be from Hernando County, and his next of kin has been notified. Paez declined to say whether investigators have any suspects or clues as to motive. "We've got some good leads we're trying to chase down, and we don't want to let the cat out of the bag," he said. Sheriff's officials shut down Ayers Road for a few hours Tuesday to canvass the area. They would not say whether they found any evidence. Neighbors were mystified by the death. Most said they had not seen the Bronco and had no idea who was in it. "I drove by there this morning . . . and I didn't notice a thing," said Danette Williams of the C & W Mountain Horse Farm, who dropped her children off at a nearby bus stop before the body was found about 10:15 a.m. Joe Moragues Jr. said he had seen the Bronco sitting there since Monday but thought nothing of it. He added that the Bronco was not a familiar sight in the area, which is largely made up of "ranchettes" and cow pastures. "It's been there for at least two days," he said. "But to be honest with you, so many (cars) break down around here . . . I didn't pay attention." Neighbor John Novak speculated that the crime happened elsewhere. "People think this (road) is out of the way," he said. "I think they just dropped the guy off, because I didn't hear a thing." Anyone with information was asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 754-6830 or the anonymous tips line at 797-8477.
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From today's Hernando Times |
