MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Investigators have ordered an autopsy to identify the person whose body was found floating in the waters of Manatee County over the weekend.
The sheriff's office said a boater first discovered the body on Saturday in shallow waters near Rattlesnake Key, just south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Deputies responded but said they were not able to recover the body at that time because of a strong current that carried it away from where it had originally been reported. The Manatee County Sheriff's office initiated an "extensive" search to locate the body, using aviation and marine units, according to a news release.
The body was located Sunday morning in a different part of Miguel Bay, along the shoreline of Rattlesnake Key, the sheriff's office said.
When detectives got to the scene, they didn't find any identifying information on the body, they said.
As of Monday morning, officials said they did not know how long the body had been in the water or where it came from.
The autopsy will determine the cause of death and confirm the gender of the person who died.
In a news release, the sheriff's office said no other details were available and that the investigation is ongoing.