Man’s body found along Marion County road; deputies call his death suspicious

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Sheriff’s investigators said the death of a man whose body was found on the side of a road in Marion County is suspicious.

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Around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, deputies responded to NW 77th Terrace Road near West Highway 326 after getting calls from the public about the body.

At the scene, deputies determined his death looked suspicious, but the Marion County Sheriff’s Office did not say why.

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Eyewitness News reporter Raphael Pires spoke to the man who found the body near his home on Tuesday. He says he left his house around 4:30 p.m. to drop off a friend and grab some food then made the grisly discovery when he came more than an hour later.

“I first thought he was asleep or had fell out or something, but the body never moved,” the witness described.

The sheriff’s office identified the victim as 40-year-old Wayne Barlow. Eyewitness news visited his home in Ocala and spike to a woman who says she’s devastaed by what happened.

As detectives investigate the man’s cause of death, they’re hoping anyone who might have seen something suspicious in that area on Tuesday will come forward.

Tipsters can call 352-732-9111, or citizens who want to stay anonymous can call CrimeStoppers of Marion County at 352-732-STOP (7867).

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