Body found in water belongs to passenger in early morning crash
ST. PETE BEACH (FOX 13) - A body was found in the water near the site of an single-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said it belonged to the passenger from that crash.
The body of 66-year-old Mary Dyer was found Thursday afternoon near the 10000 block of Gulf Boulevard in Treasure Island. Dyer was the passenger in an SUV that crashed into the water around 3 a.m. near where 75th Avenue curves left and becomes Sunset Way in St. Pete Beach.
The SUV's driver, 69-year-old Robert Schermerhorn, escaped with non life-threatening injuries. He told rescue crews someone was in the car with him, but when they pulled his Mercedes Benz from the 25-feet-deep water of Blind Pass, there was no one inside.
Major Accident Investigation Team members said it appeared Schermerhorn did not make the left from 75th onto Sunset Way, crashing into a wooden fence and then over the seawall into the Intercostal Waterway.
Marine deputies continued searched for Dyer until someone reported seeing a body in the water near Gulf Blvd. around 2:30 p.m.
Investigators said they believed impairment was a factor and they were continuing to investigate.