Fishermen find body in Orange County pond

Man's cause of death, ID not known

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Two people fishing in a retention pond spotted the body of a man in his early 20s, officials said Thursday evening.

“They were certainly not expecting to find a body in the water,” said Capt. Carlos Torres, of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “Certainly not an individual, deceased in the water.”

As the fishermen tried to reel their discovery to shore, about 5:20 p.m., they realized it was a man. He was fully clothed and there were no visible signs of trauma, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Investigators aren’t sure of the man's cause of death. His body was taken away to be examined.

For now, this is considered a death investigation rather than a homicide case. If authorities come to believe the man was killed, they will have a team search the pond, but the spokesperson said it was too early to determine that.

The retention pond is a popular fishing spot.

Official said there are many homeless people in the neighboring community, and it’s possible that the man was a transient. He wasn't carrying any forms of identification.

Traffic on State Road 408, near East Colonial Drive, was backed up at one point due to the investigation but, at last check, it was flowing again. Detectives investigated the scene for about three hours. They blocked off one lane of traffic during rush hour.


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