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Neighbor Thought Shooting Victim Was Sunbathing

Tribune photo by ANDY JONES

Pasco County Sheriff's forensics workers help with an investigation into the death of a woman in Land O'Lakes.

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By LISA A. DAVIS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 4, 2008

Updated: 05/04/2008 07:56 pm

LAND O' LAKES - Lee Brown, who owns property across the street from where a woman's body was found this morning, may have seen the victim lying on her back nearly a day earlier but thought she was only sunbathing.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office on Sunday said they are investigating the woman's death as a homicide and identified her as Diane Yeager-Lombard, 51.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death, the sheriff's office said.

The body was found on the front porch of a home at 9665 Bahia Loop, Land O' Lakes, in a rural area east of U.S. 41 just before noon on Sunday.

Brown, 69, heard a gunshot Saturday afternoon and later saw a woman on the front porch of the Bahia Loop house.

Sometime after 5 p.m. Saturday – he can't recall the exact time – he heard a gun shot as he was walking across his cow pasture to his house.

"Just as I was coming out over yonder by the gate," he said. "I heard the gun. And it wasn't no BB gun. It was a powerful gun," said Brown.

He looked around but didn't notice anything unusual except a blue truck speeding up the gravel road.

"There was dust. You couldn't even see nothing," described Brown. "He must have been going 70 mph. He was git and gone."

After resting at home for a while, he drove back to the mobile home he was cleaning out and passed the home where the body was discovered.

He saw a woman laying face up on the front porch. He remembered hearing the gunshot a bit earlier but almost immediately dismissed it.

"I said no, she's just sunbathing."

It wasn't until after church Sunday when he heard the news a woman had been found been found dead on Lombard's porch that he realized what he might have seen.

"I just thought nothing about it," he said. "I feel bad now. I should have at least checked on her."

The single family house is on a small horse ranch near Ehren Cutoff. This afternoon, neighbor Bea Hodson came by to feed the horses that may not have been feed since Saturday.

She said they ran to the hay she tossed over the fence.

"I just wanted to make sure the horses were fed. I just hope they have water," she said.

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