Body found in Harlow Boulevard ditch identified

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police have identified the body found in a ditch in Cedar Hills as 28-year-old Leroy Benjamin IV.

His body found on Harlow Boulevard on Friday morning by children walking to school. While the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has not given a cause of death, police say it is being investigated as a murder.

Residents in the neighborhood said shots were heard in the area between 10 and 11 p.m. Thursday, but it wasn't reported to police because gunfire is not uncommon in the area.

Homicide detectives originally thought the victim was younger, saying Friday that the body was of a person between 15 and 20.

News4Jax found Benjamin has two previous arrests in Jacksonville and was released from state prison two years ago after serving a 6-year sentence for accessory after the fact to a capital felony.

Anyone who saw something suspicious in the area or knows anything about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.