JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is looking for answers after a woman was found dead in a vacant lot on Pickettville Road Saturday morning.
A sergeant says evidence shows violence could be involved.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have much more information about the body found by a concerned citizen Saturday.
However, several folks in Marietta say the lot, with its 'No Trespassing' signs, concrete barriers, tire tracks and bonfire pits, has a long history.
“Oh, that goes way back," said Adam Ott, who works at a company on Pickettville Road. "I got to Jacksonville in 1980, and this stuff was going on way back then.”
Ott has spent the past few decades driving a truck for a company on Pickettville Road.
Whenever he’s coming into work, he’s had to worry about what would be going on across the street at a vacant lot known as “The Mudhole” to locals.
“That’s always been a well-known area for people to go play with their trucks and four wheelers and what not," said Ott.
It’s become known for more than just a play area, as it became a police scene Saturday when a woman’s body was discovered.
Just three months ago, a man was killed by the south end of the lot when he crashed into a tree while riding his ATV.
Ott says he's seen more than 100 people on the lot at a time.
Employees at another trucking company on Pickettville Road said they’ve had to call police several times when the sounds of ATVs get so loud it interferes with their operations.
A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office sergeant said they’re still working to identify the woman found over the weekend.
Ott is hoping they’ll also work on ticketing more people who trespass on the property.
A First Coast News crew saw three trucks enter the property in just three hours Monday afternoon.
“They don’t have any regard for the fact that it’s posted no trespassing, which I think it’s very rude that people don’t respect private property anymore," said Ott.
The sheriff’s office hasn’t shared any information on suspects, people of interest or witnesses.