The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the June 26 death of a Bradenton woman on a boat near Cortez.
The woman’s body was brought to shore by a friend in a boat to a waterfront restaurant, where employees made life-saving attempts but failed.
Desiree E. Van Horn, 34, and a friend spent the night on the water aboard a boat anchored about 100 yards from the docks in Cortez, according to an MCSO report, when Van Horn exhibited symptoms similar a heart attack, her companion, Tony Taylor, said.
The MCSO and Manatee County Emergency Management Services responded to a 911 call at the Star Fish Co. Market and Restaurant dock relating to the medical emergency.
“It actually happened on a boat across the bay at one of the net camps,” said Karen Bell, owner of Star Fish and co-owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co. “The one that we call the Curt Johns camp.”
Bell said she was in Homosassa June 26 and received information from the MCSO and staff at Starfish regarding the emergency.
Bell said a friend of Van Horn’s, Taylor, brought her to the dock, where he enlisted help from Star employees Eric Peterson and Greg Surace.
The men worked together in an effort to revive Van Horn.
“Tony brought her over to Star’s floating dock,” Bell said. “It’s on video of him running into the building. It was at around — I think 9 a.m. He came back out with a couple of the guys who work there, Greg and Eric. Eric had the phone and you can see him dialing 911. Greg helped pull her out of the boat and onto the dock. They did proceed to try and do CPR and then, in a very brief period of time, EMS showed up.”
Van Horn was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bell said Van Horn’s body remained on the floating dock for almost five hours while the sheriff’s office investigated. Star Fish Co. was closed for the day.
“It’s really very tragic,” said Bell.
In a June 26 email to The Islander, the MCSO said detectives found no sign of trauma.
The cause of death is pending toxicology results, which can take up to three months, David Winterhalter of the District 12 Medical Examiner Office in Sarasota told The Islander via email July 2.