911 Call Prompts Investigation Into Suspicious Death Near Cromwell

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the suspicious death of a man found near Cromwell.

The person who found the body called OnStar, who then called 911 to get help. Once emergency crews arrived, they discovered it was too late.

Dispatcher: “Seminole County 911, what's the location of the emergency?”
OnStar: “I have a good Samaritan on the scene of a person laying in a ditch.”

The pink lines drawn out over the guardrail and ditch mark the location of where the driver discovered a body.

OnStar: “Right now, it's a 30-year-old male; he's not conscience or breathing.”

When first responders arrived, they found the man dead on the west side of Highway 56, near Cromwell, lying just past a bridge over Sand Creek. 

“The way the body is positioned on the back side of the guardrail makes it very suspicious to me,” said Seminole County Sheriff Shannon Smith.

Multiple agencies including the OSBI and OHP were on scene to assist the Seminole County Sheriff's Department as they tried to piece together how this man died and why. However, the condition of the body gave investigators little clues on what happened.

“Nothing apparent, nothing that we can see,” said Smith.

The medical examiner's office arrived and took the body from the scene. A wallet also was found near the body but no identification has been made.

“We're going to work it as a homicide until we can prove otherwise,” he said.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.