Manatee County detectives search for clues in homicide

MANATEE COUNTY — Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives are withholding cause of death information for the homicide case of Nicole Rose Scott. Scott’s body was found Dec. 11, at the end of University Parkway east of Lakewood Ranch.

Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Dave Bristow said withholding the information could give detectives an advantage as they continue their investigation. By not releasing that information, potential suspects won’t know what information detectives already have, he said.

“We’ve done it (withheld cause of death) before when we’re able,” Bristow said. “Sometimes, the cause of death is known and gets out right away. Other times, we can withhold it while we interview people.”
Bristow said he did not know when the Sheriff’s Office would release cause of death.

A motorcyclist discovered the 29-year-old Sarasota woman’s body at about 11 a.m. Dec. 11, in a ditch near the intersection of University and Bourneside Boulevard near The Concession Golf Club.

Detectives almost immediately ruled Scott’s death as suspicious. They believe Scott died in the two days before her body was discovered. As of press time, detectives did not say whether she was killed at the scene or was placed there following her death.

Scott had a long record with in the Sarasota County court system that included multiple drug possession charges, prowling, robbery, fraud, larceny, prostitution and vehicle theft. In Manatee County, her record included several traffic infractions as well as two felonies, one in 2003 for uttering a forged instrument and a second a year later for driving with a suspended license.

Scott was unemployed, and detectives aren’t sure how she supported herself.

“(We) can’t say for sure about her troubled past being related to her death, but certainly, that’s possible,” Bristow said.

Detectives now are searching for anyone who may have information regarding Scott’s whereabouts late last week. They already have interviewed Scott’s neighbors on Potter Street in Sarasota but have not secured a solid lead.

“We need anyone who was in contact with her late last week to call us,” Bristow said. “It may be someone who knows her or just remembers seeing her based on her photo.”

Anyone with information should call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-8477.