The remains of a body that washed up over the weekend in Key West may be those of a Clearwater man whose boat was discovered abandoned in the same general vicinity earlier, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
On Saturday, the sheriff's office received a call from a person walking along Boca Chica Beach on Big Coppitt Key. The person had found a boat that had washed ashore, a 22-foot vessel, the sheriff's office said. The dive flag on the vessel was up, and the anchor line was out, though the line was frayed and there was no anchor on the end of it, the sheriff's office said.
On board, a deputy found a wallet with identification belonging to David Schermerhorn, 48, who was staying in an apartment on Big Coppitt Key, sheriff's officials say.
Schermerhorn, who owns a house with his wife, Stephanie Miller, at 1391 Orange St., Clearwater, was in the middle of a divorce action in Pinellas County initiated by his wife, according to Pinellas court records and the sheriff's office in Monroe County.
Also found on the boat were Schermerhorn's cell phone, sunglasses and clothing.
Earlier in the week, investigators learned, Schermerhorn had his boat put into the water at a marina on Stock Island. His vehicle was found in the parking lot of the marina, and his apartment was padlocked from the outside. His landlady said she'd last seen him the previous Saturday.
A short time after the boat was found, the Coast Guard reported they found partial remains of a human body near the Western Sambos, on the Atlantic side of the lower Keys. DNA tests will have to be conducted to see if they are Schermerhorn's, the sheriff's office said.
There is no indication of foul play.
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