Woman’s body washes up near riverfront home in Ortega

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A body washed up near the backyard of a riverfront home in the Ortega neighborhood Thursday evening.

Police and firefighters responded just before 7:30 p.m. to the back of the Ortega Boulevard home, where the body of a woman was found on rocks next to the bulkhead.

The homeowner told News4Jax that he was walking his dog along the side of the St. Johns River around sunset when he saw the body, which is believed to have washed onto the rocks during high tide and left there once the water receded.

The homeowner, who’s a doctor, estimated the body to have been in the water for more than 24 hours. He said the half-clothed body appeared to be that of a woman in her late 20s to early 30s.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives were called to investigate.