A quiet stretch of shoreline at St. Petersburg's Lassing Park turned into a crime scene on Friday after callers reported an unresponsive person floating in the water. St. Petersburg police and emergency crews rushed to the bayfront park, just south of downtown, and pulled the body of a 31-year-old woman from Tampa Bay.
What police say
St. Petersburg police told WFLA they received a report of an unresponsive woman in the water and later identified her as a 31-year-old who had been paddleboarding earlier in the day. Investigators have not publicly released her name.
According to the department, the Pinellas County medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of death. For now, police say they are holding back on conclusions while they wait for the official findings.
Where it happened
The incident unfolded at Lassing Park, near 2042 Beach Drive Southeast, according to MapQuest. The slim strip of green space along the water is a popular launch point for paddleboards and small watercraft, with residents often slipping into Tampa Bay just steps from their front doors and a short distance from downtown’s bustle.
Investigators' next steps
Police told WFLA the death does not appear suspicious at this time, though detectives are still piecing together the woman’s movements before she ended up in the water. That includes reconstructing her paddleboarding outing and any interactions she may have had beforehand.
Officials say more information will be released after the medical examiner completes an examination and toxicology testing, which will help clarify what happened in the bay that day.
Authorities have not released additional details about the incident. Hoodline will update this story if the St. Petersburg Police Department or the Pinellas County medical examiner issues new information.
