Bradenton man found dead in woods had history of mental illness. Cops say he was murdered

A man who suffered from several mental illnesses and with a history of making threats to harm himself or others was found dead in a wooded area in Bradenton this week. Detectives believe he was the victim of homicide, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Just before 2 p.m. Monday, someone called 911 and reported seeing Nardiel Ettienne Negron-Mojica’s body in a wooded area in the 5400 block of 26th Street West, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Randy Warren. Firefighters were the first to arrive on the scene and determined that the victim was already dead.

Moments later, sheriff’s deputies arrived and immediately determined the death to be suspicious because of the trauma to his upper body. The sheriff’s office would not release any details about the cause of death, including what the murder weapon might have been.

Homicide detectives are pursuing various leads based on information they have received so far, according to Warren.

“We are looking for any tips we can, information from people that live in that area that might have seen our victim go into this vacant lot, either that morning or even late the night before,” he said.

The Gold Star Club of Manatee County is offering a $5,000 reward, increasing the potential reward for information to up to $8,000, including the standard reward money offered by Crimestoppers.

Negron-Mojica, who suffered from schziophrenia, bio-polar disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, had a troubled history.

In December 2016, the sheriff’s office sought the public’s help in finding Negron-Mojica, after he was reported missing.

According to a missing person report, Negron-Mojica, who was living in Orlando at the time, had received taunting text messages from his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, as well as semi-nude photos of the woman. Negron-Mojica got angry and made comments on Facebook threatening to kill her, their child and then himself, his parents told the sheriff’s office.

Negron-Mojica showed up at his parents’ home, and when deputies arrived they found his car front of the home. Although the car was still warm to the touch, deputies couldn’t find Negron-Mojica. His parents, who claimed he was not taking any of his prescribed medication, claimed that he was known for following through when he said something.

But his ex-girlfriend told detectives that he regularly said things when he was upset that he didn’t follow through on, so she was not afraid of him.

Detectives were unable to find Negron-Mojica, but his family eventually convinced him to go to Centerstone, where he was involuntarily hospitalized.

Court records show that Negron-Mojica had been arrested multiple times over the past several years for domestic violence and weapons charges. Most recently in June, according to records, he violated the injunction for protection against domestic violence that his ex-girlfriend was granted last year.

Anyone with information on the homicide case can call the sheriff’s office at 941-747-3011 or to remain anonymous, tips can be submitted to Manatee Crime Stoppers by calling 866-634-8477 (TIPS) or online at manateecrimestoppers.com.

This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 11:21 AM.