Man’s Body Found Floating In Bradenton Canal: Manatee County Sheriff

BRADENTON, FL — The body of a man who walked away from the scene of a car crash was found floating in a Bradenton canal Friday morning, according to a news release from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 8:40 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a body floating in a canal in the 300 block of Magellan Drive. The victim, later identified as 54-year-old Horacio Enrique Salazar-Martinez of Bradenton, was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies learned that the driver in a 2 a.m. car crash in front of a home in that area of Magellan Drive couldn’t be found. The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the accident, MCSO said.

Patch has reached out to FHP for additional information about the crash. This story will be updated when they respond.

Detectives with the Manatee Homicide Investigative Unit found no trauma to the body or other evidence of suspicious activity. It appears as though Horacio Enrique Salazar-Martinez wandered off from the crash scene, and somehow stumbled into the canal and drowned, the sheriff’s office said.

An exact cause of death is unknown, pending an autopsy. The investigation continues.