‘Jarring scene’: Deputies find burning body in open field

RUSKIN, Fla. — Officials in west-central Florida discovered a body burning in an open field on Saturday, authorities said.

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According to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a 911 call at about 8 a.m. EDT from a motorist who said they drove by what appeared to be a mannequin on fire in the field, which is located behind a residential area in Ruskin.

Members of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to the scene and discovered that the mannequin was actually a body, WTVT reported.

After extinguishing the fire, officials determined that the victim had upper body trauma, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Deputies were unable to identify the body due to the severity of the burns, the newspaper reported.

“This is a jarring scene,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. “At this time, our deputies are doing everything they can to determine what happened to this person. We do believe this is an isolated incident, and we will continue to work tirelessly until we determine how this horrific crime occurred.”

“It is horrific for our deputies to come across a deceased person, and we just want to get justice for this victim’s family, whoever this victim is,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Fentress Fountain told WFLA-TV. “We are actively trying to determine what happened here.

“What time the body got here and who was responsible for this crime, because it’s a pretty gruesome scene.”

The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident, which it is calling a homicide, the Times reported.