Anglers find decomposing body stuck in tree along ‘pristine’ Florida river, cops say

UPDATE: The body has been identified as that of 27-year old Colby Wilcher and his death is being investigated as a homicide, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 1 update. The original story is below.

A “partially decomposing human body” was found by boaters in a tree along Florida’s Shoal River, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

An autopsy has revealed the man died of a gunshot wound. “Investigators are treating the death as suspicious,” the sheriff’s office said.

The body was discovered around 3 p.m. Monday, April 11, south of the Shoal River Bridge near Crestview. The city is in the Florida Panhandle, about 50 miles northeast of Pensacola.

A group of anglers spotted the body “tangled in a tree” at the river’s edge and called 911, the sheriff’s office said.

The spot was too challenging to reach by land, so “deputies had to travel to the scene by boat to investigate,” officials said.

An autopsy was planned.

The department did not report anyone had recently gone missing in the community.

“Investigators say there are no obvious indicators of cause of death, so it is unknown at this point if foul play is a factor,” the sheriff’s office said. “Also due to the condition of the body, the race, sex, and approximate age of the deceased are not yet able to be determined.”

The Shoal River is shallow and travels “through a northwest Florida wilderness of high sandy hills, broad sandbars ... and floodplain forest,” according to the Shoal River Paddling Travel Guide.

“The land along the Shoal is mostly undeveloped,” the site says. “The Shoal River meanders through pristine habitat that is home to Florida black bear, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and many other species.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Anglers find decomposing body stuck in tree along ‘pristine’ Florida river, cops say."