Homicide victim was shot to death. Cops say they know who dumped his body in Palmetto

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect in the shooting death of an 18-year-old man whose body was found Saturday morning in Palmetto.

On Sunday afternoon, the sheriff’s office issued an arrest warrant for Irving Zuniga, 28, in the murder of Jesus Molina.

Molina’s body was discovered around 7:17 a.m. Saturday lying in the grass in the 1200 block of 61st St. East/Palm View Road in Palmetto.

The sheriff’s office said that Molina was shot at an unknown location early Saturday morning and then dumped near 61st Street East.

The body was discovered by a passerby.

Detectives are still investigating what led up to the violence, and no further details or suspected motive were released.

Zuniga has a history of previous arrests in Manatee County. Past charges include possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana in February, disorderly conduct in 2016, grand theft of a firearm in 2013 and aggravated assault in 2009.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Zuniga can call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 or Manatee County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-TIPS.

Friends and family of Molina shared his photo on social media over the weekend and called for anyone with information about what happened to come forward.

“If anyone knows anything about my cousin Jesus please let me know,” said Joselyn Corona in a Facebook post that was shared by more than 100 people. “Anyone who may have wanted to hurt him or who he hung out with or who he was last seen with. Please. Anything helps. Please share this.”

“Jesus was such a sweet, kind soul — loving and always watching out for everyone else,” said Dulce Lopez Sosa in a message to the Bradenton Herald.

Molina lived in Bradenton and had attended Southeast High School, according to his Facebook profile. His profile has now been converted into a memorial page called “Remembering Jesus Molina.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2019 at 3:22 PM.