Woman Falls Into Septic Tank, Dies While Watering Plants: Police

NORTH PORT, FL — The body of a 74-year-old woman was found in a septic tank at her North Port home after a family member was unable to reach her.

The woman, whose identity hasn’t been released, was found dead at her Andalusia Street home after a wellness check was requested, Josh Taylor, public information officer for the North Port Police Department, told Patch.

“Tragically, she was watering her plants when either she fell in an already caved-in lid to the septic tank or her weight caused the deteriorating lid to cave in,” he said.

Taylor told ABC 7 that it was “a completely freakish type incident that you would never think would happen.”

The victim’s neighbors told NBC 2 that she spent a lot of time outdoors tending to her garden.

One neighbor also told the news outlet that a recent appraisal of the victim’s home indicated there were issues with her septic tank.

“She had a big crack in her tank. I thought it was a lid at first, but it was the tank. She didn’t fix it or do anything about it,” the neighbor, Olivia, said. “They should have flagged that off. The appraisal company or whoever.”

The investigation remains ongoing, though no foul play is suspected, Taylor said. The medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death.