ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — A 28-year-old man's body was found in Boca Ciega Bay in the St. Pete Beach area at around 6 a.m. Sunday, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Deputies say they first received a report of Jackson Philip Christman missing around 9:53 p.m. Saturday.
Christman left his home on Friday in his 13-foot Carolina Skiff boat and did not show up for plans the next day, according to detectives.
Authorities then found his body about 30 feet from the shore in Boca Ciega Bay and about 50 feet from his boat on Sunday.
The 28-year-old was reportedly not wearing a life preserver.
Detectives say they were able to determine that Christman crashed into a pillion in the water and was thrown from the boat, likely causing him to hit his head on the pillion. The boat was kept in gear at the shoreline until it ran out of gas, the news release mentioned.
The sheriff's office says the investigation remains ongoing.