MOUNT DORA, Fla.,None — In sleepy Mount Dora, a body was found near a miniature golf course (see map). It's also near a restaurant on US-441.
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There's been just one murder investigation all year in Mount Dora and it's too early to tell if this was a homicide, but the body was found in the woods and police say it has been there for weeks.
At Adventure Cove, it was not just another day on the miniature golf course.
"Spooks them a little bit. You know, you can just see it in their face. Small town. You don't hear of this kind of thing," Adventure Cove manager Wes Tabor said.
Customers wanted to know what happened just 100 yards away in the woods.
"We saw the helicopter and, actually, I locked my doors. I didn't know if they were looking for someone," homeowner Lisa Pasler said.
Pasler's neighborhood borders the spot where a handful of teenagers discovered the body late Sunday afternoon.
"We don't know if it's a homicide. We don't know if it's a suicide. We aren't sure," said Robbin Fayne, Mount Dora Police Department.
Fayne says it's too early to tell how the victim died. Detectives believe the remains had been there more than six weeks.
"It's extremely decomposed to the point we can't tell if it's male or female," Fayne said.
While the woods are thick, it's not difficult to walk around in them. There's a good bit of trash on the ground, indicating that people have been in and out. While there is the neighborhood on one side, miniature golf on the other and several businesses a block away along US-441, it's still a spot that appears out of the way.
"It is and it isn't. Very secluded. But then again, 100 yards up the road you have a major highway. So, it is and it isn't," Tabor said.
Detectives said they will use dental records to try to identify the remains. They're also checking for active missing persons reports.
WFTV
