SARASOTA, Fla. — Police in flood-ridden Sarasota, Florida are trying to get to the bottom of a mystery surrounding a wheelchair bound man’s death on a flooded street.
The 61-year-old man’s body was found next to his wheelchair in about six inches of water. Police have not yet released the victim’s name.
Angela Spencer, a Sarasota resident, found the body while checking on flood water in the yard outside her home. She spotted the body lying in front of her neighbor’s yard.
“I looked harder, and I thought, ‘No, that’s not a garbage can,'” Spencer told CNN. “So I came about halfway down the drive and I saw it was a wheelchair overturned, and I saw what looked like a pant leg.”
Spencer, who has worked 20 years as a medical assistant, dialed 911 and ran over to try and save the man, performing CPR, but says it was already too late by the time she got there.
She told CNN she thinks the man was a transient. She isn’t sure how he ended up on her flooded street.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office told CNN they did not know the cause of death. An autopsy is scheduled.
They also say they haven’t had any luck finding the man’s family. The victim’s name could be released Tuesday, and police hope family members will come forward at that time.