CRIME

Missing Person’s Body Found in Fire Near Skyway

By Abby Baker

A body discovered in a St. Petersburg fire on Wednesday night, June 9, was determined to be a missing Tampa woman by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

On June 9, the St. Petersburg Fire Department responded to a grass fire burning near a rest area just before the Skyway Bridge; firefighters put out the flames, then found the body around 8 p.m.

On Thursday, June 10, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office released a statement that the body had been identified as a Tampa woman in her 30s, who was reported as a missing person on Wednesday by a relative. Police have not yet released the woman’s name, however her vehicle was discovered at her Town ‘N’ Country condominium, leading Hillsborough County Police to believe that this is a homicide investigation.

The Skyway Bridge and close surrounding areas are under the jurisdiction of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, according to Crystal Clark, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

Deputies have identified a person of interest in the case, but no arrests have been made as of Thursday, Clark said.

The investigation is ongoing.