Troopers Investigating Body and Motorcycle Parts Discovered off I-275 in St. Petersburg
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is reporting that on Thursday, November 29, 2018, at 10:55 AM, two highway workers picking up trash along the side of the interstate located a deceased male body in the bushes along the southbound shoulder of I-275, just north of 54th Avenue South.
The family confirmed that the body was that of 27 year-old James Butler IV of Lakewood Ranch who went missing on November 18.
Investigators from FHP believe that Butler was traveling southbound on I-275 in the early morning hours of November 18th.
For an unknown reason, Butler’s 2002 Honda motorcycle left the roadway where it impacted several trees. Butler suffered fatal injuries. He was located about 50 feet from the roadway within the brush and tree line.