A deepening mystery: Another body has been found in SE Marion
Editor's note: This story was revised at 1:55 p.m. to include additional information, including the ages of the two people who died, and again at 5 p.m. to include the sheriff's comments and his video.
Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives are investigating a death in southeast Marion that they believe is related to two other cases from that part of the county.
In all three cases, the sheriff's office announced Monday afternoon, the victims are juveniles.
Just before 11 p.m. Thursday, a 16-year-old girl was found roadside at Forest Lakes Park on Southeast 183rd Avenue Road in Ocklawaha. She had been shot. She remains hospitalized.
Just before 8 a.m. Friday, the body of a 17-year-old boy was found roadside about 5 miles away. He had been fatally shot. His body was discovered at Southeast 94th Street and 188th Court in Ocklawaha.
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The latest death was discovered on Saturday. About 12:40 p.m., deputies were called to Malauka Loop and Malauka Loop Trace in Ocklawaha. They found a vehicle partially submerged at the edge of a body of water.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office Forensic Unit and Underwater Recovery Team joined the investigation. They found the body of a 16-year-old girl inside the vehicle. She also had been fatally shot.
As of Monday afternoon, officials had released no information about the vehicle or its owner. They did not release details about that victim, except her age and manner of death, because her family invoked Florida's Marsy's Law, which prohibits official disclosure of crime victim information.
The deceased man's family likewise invoked Marsy's Law. Only Monday afternoon was his age released.
The 16-year-old gunshot victim's name has been released, but the Star-Banner is withholding it because of her age.
Sheriff's Office officials said the victims from Thursday and Friday were found about 5 miles apart. Saturday's discovery was about 10 miles away.
A person of interest has been questioned by detectives, but there had been no arrests as of Monday afternoon.
Detectives are continuing their investigation. Anyone who saw anything suspicious or has information that may be of interest to investigators should call Detective Ryan Stith at (352) 368-3542. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-STOP (7867) and reference 23-22 in your tip.
Later Monday, Sheriff Billy Woods posted a video to his agency's Facebook page assuring the residents who live near the crime scenes that his deputies are working hard on the case. He also implored people to stop speculating about the case on social media and asked anyone with information to step forward.
The Star-Banner's Jim Ross contributed to this report. Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Girl's body found in SE Marion, linked to ongoing investigation
