Federal investigators are looking into the discovery of a woman’s body in a floating trash bag off the coast of Florida earlier this month.
FBI agents in the agency’s Tampa Field Office are investigating the death of a woman whom they identified as Heather Rose Strickland, 34, after fishermen found her body floating near Egmont Key shores and around 13 miles from the coast of Pinellas County in Florida.
According to the FBI, a group of fishermen made the gruesome discovery on Sunday, December 10, and called the US Coast Guard. The agents said the fishermen found the body wrapped in bedding fitted inside a plastic garbage bag.
The fishermen attempted to retrieve the plastic, thinking it was trash, but they soon discovered it was a body. They cut into the bag and saw the victim’s skin peeking through with what looked like a bikini strap or a bra.
Heather was last seen leaving the HCA Florida Largo Hospital, about 30 miles from Egmont Key, on December 5. Although authorities have not yet disclosed her cause of death, the FBI has classified her death as suspicious.
Speaking to reporters, John Strickland, Heather’s father, said that she had been battling mental health problems and that she had been struggling with drug abuse. He said she was a kind person who did not deserve to be murdered.
Heather, originally from North Florida, had spent five years in Clearwater-St. Petersburg. Strickland and his wife, Sherrie Strickland, the victim’s stepmother, told reporters that they were trying to get their 34-year-old daughter back to her hometown in North Florida and help her get treated for her mental health problems.
Strickland said that one day Heather would act like a six-year-old, and the next day, she would act normally.
Mrs. Strickland said the last time she and Heather talked was several weeks before her body was discovered. According to her, Heather had checked into a mental hospital, but she urged her to return to Lake City, where she and Heather’s father live in Columbia County, Florida.
Speaking to a local news outlet, Mrs. Strickland described her stepdaughter as a beautiful girl with long hair and green eyes. She said that growing up, Heather had aspirations of becoming a model, adding that she had an unforgettable laugh.
Heather’s parents told the outlet that Heather was a mother to five children, all of whom she adopted.
The victim’s father said that although she had her problems, Heather was a good person, and he and his wife were making it through the tragedy by keeping themselves busy planning her funeral.
The FBI is asking for the public’s help piecing together what happened to Heather. The toxicology report is pending.