16-Year-Old Boy Found D3ad in Florida Waters. His Grandma Says Police ‘Have No Clue’ How He Di*d

After Eniola Olafemi’s death, police said “there is nothing that suggests foul play,” and that his cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner

16-Year-Old Boy Found Dead Off Florida Causeway After Disappearing on His Way to School
Eniola Olafemi, the 16-year-old boy who was found dead in waters off of Florida causeway on Nov. 17, 2024. Photo: 

GoFundMe

A Florida teenager has been found dead days after he disappeared while on his way to school, and his family wants answers.

 

Police recovered the body of a person “believed to be in his mid-teens” from the waters off the Courtney Campbell Causeway on Sunday, Nov. 17, according to a news release from the Tampa Police Department (TPD).

 

Family members have identified the victim to local news outlets as 16-year-old Eniola Olafemi.

 

His grandmother Cathy Jackson adopted Olafemi and his two siblings, who were living with their father in Brazil, in 2015, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

 

Jackson told CBS affiliate WTSP that her grandson left for school on Tuesday, Nov. 12, but she later learned that he never arrived.

Jackson said police told her that Olafemi was identified through dental records, and that he had been face-down in the water for about two days, according to WTSP.

Authorities also allegedly informed Jackson that there were no signs of cuts, stab wounds, gunshots, or strangulation on the body — and the outlet reported that they’ve also ruled out drowning as well.

 

“They don’t know how he died,” she told WTSP. “They have no clue.”

 

Speaking with NBC affiliate WFLA-TV, Jackson said that police also couldn’t tell her “how he ended up in the water for two days” or where he’d been for the rest of the time that he was missing. “They said we don’t know yet,” she added.

 

Police said in a statement that the body found Sunday “had no obvious signs of trauma” and that “there is nothing that suggests foul play.” His cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner.

 

The Tampa Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Olafemi had a history of running away, but Jackson believes something nefarious may have happened, according to the Times

 

“I think somebody kidnapped him,” she told WFLA. “I really do.”

 

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A second body was found in the waters off the Courtney Campbell Causeway two days after the first was found, according to the TPD.

 

The second victim was believed to be an adult Hispanic male “believed to be in his early-to-mid 30s,” who police said also had “no obvious signs of trauma” to his body.

The two incidents “do not appear to be related” to police, who are still investigating both cases.

 

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support Olafemi’s family following his disappearance and death.

 

“He was an awesome kid,” Jackson told WTSP. “He was wonderful, and I miss him.”