Decomposed body found in pond in south Manatee, cops say

Detectives are investigating after a body was found in a retention pond off University Parkway on Thursday morning, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

The man's body was in a stage of decomposition, though officials were not able to identify him, according to the sheriff's office.

Two people discovered the body just off the shore line while working in the area to determine what it would take to clean up the retention pond, Dave Bristow, spokesman for the sheriff's office, said.

There were no obvious signs of trauma to the body. The incident is currently being handled as a routine death investigation. It is not known how long the body has been in the water.

"Nothing suspicious at this point, but we'll know more after the autopsy," Bristow said.

The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, which will likely be done Friday, according to the sheriff's office.

This is a developing story. Stay with Bradenton.com for updates.

This story was originally published May 24, 2018 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Decomposed body found in pond in south Manatee, cops say."