Update : August 15th
The Sanibel Police Department confirmed they responded to an individual attempting to break into a unit on Buttonwood Lane. Police say they transported an injured suspect to the hospital for medical treatment. Sanibel Fire also responded to a fire on the property at the time of the incident.
Original Reporting:
The Sanibel Police Department has turned over the investigation to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
A chaotic scene unfolded on Sanibel Island after a vacation turned into a nightmare for a family of French tourists.
Neighbors say the tourists were staying at a vacation rental, off Buttonwood Lane and Periwinkle Ave, when they allegedly stabbed a naked home intruder before dealing with a structure fire.
Wednesday night police officers and firefighters responded to the structure fire. The property managers also showed up as soon as they heard there was a fire.
"She pulls in and we see this naked guy, he's just sitting there. He's getting cleaned up, he's got wounds on his body, bleeding." said property co-manager Matthew Jankauskas. "You don't see that everyday on Sanibel," he added.
The neighbors say that the naked, injured man was then taken away in an ambulance and that they don't suspect that he was a tourist. The Sanibel Fire Department tells us this is an active criminal investigation and we are still waiting on a cause of that fire and what lead up to it.
The Sanibel Police department believes this to be an isolated incident with no additional threats to the community and the investigation will continue through the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
