Authorities have released the name of a person whose burned body was found last week in unincorporated Marion County.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office officials said the person found deceased inside a vehicle in a wooded area of Silver Springs Shores on Jan. 30 was Jack Duane Watson, 61.
Watson was considered homeless, sheriff’s officials said. Apparently, Watson had been living in the woods where he was found, which is the 7400 block of Maricamp Road.
Detectives said the man’s body was discovered inside a Nissan Murano sport utility vehicle that was not registered to him. Officials said they know to whom the vehicle is registered, but are not releasing the name at this point. The vehicle was burned.
Deputies said they received a call about 3:15 p.m. about a vehicle that had been in the woods for the past few days. When they got there, Watson was dead.
Ocala Police Department
On Jan. 27, Ocala Police Department officers were called to the 700 block of Northwest Eighth Avenue in reference to a body. Arriving at the location, officers found the individual, identified only as a man, deceased in the backyard.
Police officials said on Feb. 4 they’re still waiting on a positive identification of the victim before releasing his name. Officials said the man had burns on his body but there were no signs of trauma.
Detectives await results of further tests, such as toxicology, to determine a cause and manner of death.
Law officers say the two deaths are not related.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Name of homeless man whose body was found in the Shores released
Reporting by Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
