A body found in a pond in suburban Jacksonville has been identified as that of a New Port Richey man missing since January, authorities said.
Brian Matthew White, 43, of New Port Richey, left his mother's home in New Port Richey and traveled to Jacksonville to meet with a family member on or about Jan. 26, according to the St. John's Sheriff's Office.
Two days later, after spending several hours with relatives in Jacksonville, White left and told his mother he was headed back to her house in New Port Richey.
White never arrived and had not been seen or heard from since then, a St. John's Sheriff's Office statement said.
Detectives in St. John Sheriff's Office's Major Crimes Unit learned White made a purchase at a St. Augustine convenience store on Jan. 28. This week they learned the vehicle White was driving, a Chevrolet Traverse belonging to his mother, was found abandoned in a parking lot of an industrial park on C.R. 210.
After locating the vehicle and obtaining White's cell phone records that indicated his last call was made in the C.R. 210 area. St. John's sheriff's detectives flew over the area, the release said. They spotted a body floating in a pond on the old KOA campground property near C.R. 210 and Sandy Creek Parkway.
Sheriff's detectives, crime scene personnel and divers went to the pond to recover the body.
The District Medical Examiner's Office postively identified White's body. The body showed no obvious signs of foul play after an autopsy was performed Wednesday morning.
The results are pending further toxicology testing.
The investigation cointinues.
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