Sarasota Sheriff continuing to investigate death of man whose body was found in wooded area

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the death of a man found Saturday in a wooded area near Colonial Drive and New England Street.

Deputies responded to the scene at 2:07 p.m. after a citizen notified authorities of a decomposed body in the area, according to a release. When deputies arrived, they located the deceased man and turned the investigation over to the agency’s Criminal Investigations Section.

Based on their preliminary investigation, detectives believe the death may have been the result of a drug overdose, but the official cause of death will be released by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Detectives are still working to confirm his identity, according to the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kaitlyn R. Johnston said in an email Monday the investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Sarasota Sheriff continuing to investigate death of man whose body was found in wooded area."