An autopsy is scheduled to determine how a 61-year-old man died Sunday in the floodwaters in Manatee County.
- Man, 61, found face down in floodwater
- Unclear if the man's death is storm-related
- Medical examiner will perform autopsy
Greg E. Morovits was found at about 8:53 p.m. Sunday face down in the water in the roadway near the 6900 block of 44th Court East. The roadway was about 6 inches underwater because of the recent rains in the area, according to Manatee County deputies.
Morovits has been homeless for the last several years, and detectives have been unable to contact family, deputies said.
Angela Spencer, who lives in the area, described the water levels, particularly in the middle of the roadway, as deeper than that.
"Out here in the middle of the road it was about waist deep," said Spencer. "We had a car that was over almost on its side here."
That's why Spencer told us she kept checking to see if the flood waters were creeping into her Sarasota home that night. She stepped outside to look for flooding and discovered the man's body, instead.
"I looked harder and I thought, 'No, that’s not a garbage can,' so I came about halfway down the drive and I saw it was a wheelchair overturned and I saw what looked like a pant leg," said Spencer.
Spencer, a 20-year medical assistant, called 911, then tried to help the man.
"I kept telling him, 'You're not going to do this, you're not going to die on me!' but it was already too late," Spencer said.
Emergency personnel responded to the scene and began life-saving measures, but Morovits was pronounced dead. There were no signs of foul play.
Spencer told us she believed the man was a transient, and she didn't know how he ended up on her neighborhood's flooded street.
Dave Bristow, with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, said it's unclear if Morovits' death was storm-related, but the conditions could have played a role.
The cause of death will be determined after the medical examiner performs an autopsy.