ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The body of an 18-year-old has been found in a retention pond behind Intown Suites on University Boulevard, officials from the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. The location is down the road from the University of Central Florida and almost directly behind Knight Library, a bar that many students frequent.
OCSO spokesman Capt. Carlos Torres said officials found the body of Adrian Edwin Diaz, of Winter Springs, behind the hotel located at 11424 University Boulevard, near the Rouse Road intersection.
Torres said the Sheriff's Office received the call around 8 a.m.
Deanna Hickman lives at the extended stay hotel with her husband. She said he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette this morning and found the body.
"He came back up and he said, 'Honey.' I said, 'What?' He said, 'I think it's a dead body out there in the water," Hickman said.
Hickman said she walked down to the pond behind the hotel to check for herself.
"At first it looked like just trash bags floating, but then I looked and I could see his face and his hair," Hickman said.
Hickman said she immediately called 911 in a panic. She said the operator tried to calm her down.
"I was shaking like a leaf. Never seen something like this in my whole life," she said.
Orange County deputies responded to the scene and tapped off the back parking lot of the hotel. Investigators also spoke to witnesses. Homicide detectives were also on scene trying to figure out what happened.
Kelly Lang said she was taking out her garbage when she spotted the body.
"It's sad. We don't know what's going on yet because the examiner's and stuff said they probably wouldn't know until later on," Lang said.
Officials are not sure of the circumstances surrounding how and when the body wound up in the water.
Torres said there is no belief foul play was involved in Diaz's death.
"I see a lot of it on TV. You just don't think that you would see it live," Lang said.
Witnesses hope investigators can figure out what happened and get answers for the victim's loved ones.
"If it was my family member I would want somebody to call because I would be in a panic trying to figure out where they are and what's going on, why we haven't heard from them," Hickman said. "So this will help the family on the course to finding answers they want to know."
This is a developing story. Stay with News 6/ClickOrlando for updates.