Investigation underway after UPS driver spots woman’s body alongside East Manatee road
Detectives are investigating the death of a woman whose body was spotted by a UPS driver in the grass alongside a road in East Manatee.
At 3:37 p.m. Friday, deputies responded to the area near Morgan Johnson Road and 13th Avenue after the body was reported, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Randy Warren.
“The UPS driver was doing deliveries and happened to see what looked like a person,” Warren said.
The area is somewhat remote, since 13th Avenue East is a dead-end road that butts up against the southbound lanes of I-75. The woman’s body had been left just off of the roadway in a grassy area.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim but her next of kin has not been located, Warren added. As a result, her identity has not been made public.
It does appear, based on the preliminary investigation, that the woman’s body was dumped there after she was already dead.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.
This story was originally published September 28, 2018 at 6:25 PM.