PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A boater reported a body floating in the river to Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday.
CCSO received a call from a boater around 9 a.m. about a body floating in the river, approximately two miles south of Prairie Creek Boat Ramp off Washington Loop in Punta Gorda.
Police only confirmed the body is of a white male.
At the scene, family and friends of 19-year-old Gage Jackson gathered near the bridge. Jackson went missing on March 19 off Washington Loop in Punta Gorda.
Due to the condition of the body identifying the victim will take days.
“It is a long process as far as identification and then determine the cause of death. That is something we never jump to a conclusion on,” said Katie Heck, public information officer for CCSO.