CCSO: Foul play not suspected in body found in canal near Golden Gate

Authorities don't suspect foul play in the death of a man whose body was found Wednesday in a canal near Golden Gate.

"At this time, the death does not appear to be suspicious," said Kristine Gill, a Collier County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, in an email Thursday.

Deputies responded to a call about a body found floating in a canal at the 1500 block of Trafalgar Lane around 6:15 p.m., according to a Sheriff's Office incident report.

More:Collier sheriff's office investigating body found in canal near Golden Gate

A witness told deputies he was in a boat on his way to go fishing when he discovered the body of the unidentified male in the waters near the Santa Barbara Bridge, the report stated.

"It’s all bloated up," a caller told a dispatcher. "There’s a whole bunch of flies around it. It’s right here next to the bank. And we passed it. (...) I thought it was fake at first.”

The body was caught on water vegetation and no longer drifted with the westbound current, deputies wrote. The dead man was wearing a hat, blue shirt, jeans and sneakers, the report stated.

Investigators searched the canal eastbound, all the way to the dam, for any other suspicious items, but did not find anything, according to the report.

The body was transferred to the Medical Examiner's office, but as of Thursday morning no autopsy had been conducted yet, said county spokeswoman Kate Albers.

Determining a cause of death "could take months," she said.