St. Petersburg Police are conducting a homicide investigation, after a body was found Monday morning in a burning car on the Skyway Trail.


What You Need To Know

  • The car fire was spotted after 6 a.m. on Monday, September 21.

  • A body was found in the trunk.

  • So far, the body has not been identified.

Investigators say a person found the car on fire after 6 a.m. and St. Pete Fire Rescue responded to put the flames out. Police say they discovered a badly burned body in the trunk. The vehicle was parked about a mile into the Skyway Trail from the entrance located at 22nd Avenue South and 41st Street South. 

“It’s a very narrow area that goes over water, with bridges and everything else you can see. It’s a nature preserve,” said Yolanda Fernandez, spokesperson for St. Petersburg Police. 

Multiple entrances to the trail were closed for hours on Monday as investigators gathered evidence from the scene. After 4 p.m. tow trucks entered the trail near Clam Bayou Park and pulled the burned vehicle out.

The Skyway Trail is part of the Pinellas Trail network. People were expecting to ride their bikes at the closed portion today and were surprised to learn what had happened.

“It’s just so crazy. I don’t know how or why that would happen,” said Michael Killoren. He was planning to ride his bike along the trail on Monday. 

Police say they will be relying on findings from the medical examiner to determine who was found dead in the trunk and how they died. Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen something that could help them solve this case to call them at 727-893-7780 or submit a tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.