Workers dredging a canal in South Florida earlier this month were surprised when a man's body fell from a tree and splashed into the water, authorities said.
Police said crew members from the South Florida Water Management District crews were working at the Miami Canal when the wake from their boat and their equipment dislodged a "heavyset" man wearing a green shirt and black pants, the Miami Herald reported.
Police sent a dive team to the area, and the crew removed the body of the homeless man, who was lying face-down in the canal, the newspaper reported. Police believe the man was dead before he landed in the water, the Herald reported.
It is unknown how long the man had been dead, police said.
A driver's license found nearby by Miami-Dade police helped identify the dead man as Fernando Aragon, 45, the newspaper reported. Aragon has been arrested 11 times since 2010 on charges that include petty theft, trespassing and driving with a suspended license.
Police are treating the case as a homicide investigation, the Herald reported.
Cox Media Group
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