Possible ‘manatee’ trapped in canal turns out to be man’s body, Florida officials say

When police responded to a report of a possible manatee stuck inside a canal in Florida, they found a human body instead.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a 911 call on May 4 about a possible manatee wedged into a canal behind a home in Port St. Lucie, according to a news release.

When officials arrived, they found that the “manatee” in the canal was actually a human body, the release said.

After authorities found the body, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene.

“Upon arrival, our detectives and dive team retrieved the body of a white male between 20 and 40 years of age,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities have not publicly identified the man and don’t yet know how he died, according to the release.

More information will be released after the body is assessed by the medical examiner and next of kin are notified, the sheriff’s office said.

Port St. Lucie is about 113 miles north of Miami.

This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Possible ‘manatee’ trapped in canal turns out to be man’s body, Florida officials say."

Alison Cutler

mcclatchy-newsroom

Alison Cutler is a National Real Time Reporter for the Southeast at McClatchy. She graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University and previously worked for The News Leader in Staunton, VA, a branch of USAToday.