A female scuba diver who had failed to return from a solo dive off Florida’s Gulf Coast has been found dead after being reported missing by her husband.
Treasure Island Police Department (TIPD) has confirmed that a body recovered off Treasure Island Beach yesterday (5 July) was that of LeeAnn Fay Sellers, 41, who had disappeared two days earlier.
According to TIPD, Sellers had gone diving alone off the beach on 4 July, with her husband alerting police that evening after she had failed to return as expected.
TIPD, Treasure Island Fire Rescue and other agencies had launched searches by land and water, but had been unable to locate the diver.
At about 6.45 on Sunday morning, a fisherman walking along the beach reported seeing what appeared to be a body floating about 60m out to sea. Responding officers located and recovered Sellers, still dressed in scuba gear.
The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain under investigation, and no further details have been released as Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office works to determine the cause and manner of death.
Treasure Island is a holiday resort to the west of St Petersburg, with Treasure Island Beach an exceptionally wide, continuous 5km stretch of sand. Sellers is one of a number of divers to have died recently in Florida waters.
