POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office is conducting a death investigation in unincorporated Lakeland after a body was found Wednesday morning.
A group called 'Adventures with Purpose' said they were looking for a missing woman. Members of the group said they were looking around different spots in Lakeland. The group thanks Polk County investigators for leading them to the right area, where they found a woman's body and car.
Deputies responded to the area near Victoria Road, near the intersection of Grady Mock Road and Old Polk City, around 10:33 a.m. after reports of a car submerged in a retention pond, a media alert from the sheriff's office explains.
This is in a gated residential community. Members with Adventures with Purpose said their divers found the car they were looking for because they matched it to the license plate of a missing woman.
The PCSO Underwater Search and Recovery Team (USART) was reportedly able to confirm a 2012 KIA Soul was in the water.
People living nearby said the pond was taped off with crime scene tape and deputies took over that section of the neighborhood.
After the car was removed from the retention pond, deputies say a body was found inside.
The body has not been identified yet, but the car is related to a missing person case from 2021, the sheriff's office reports.
Members with Adventures with Purpose said they could identify the woman and they contacted that woman's family. In a YouTube video with over 70,000 views, members identified the body. 10 Tampa Bay is waiting for investigators to confirm the woman's identity before naming her.
Polk County investigators said more information regarding this death investigation should be released on Thursday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.