The death of a Florida-based realtor remains a mystery nearly two months after she reportedly hit her head while on a boating trip with her boyfriend.
Michelle Hunt died after reportedly embarking from Phillipi Harbor Club in Sarasota with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. The boyfriend told police that she fell off the boat while docked near Casey Key Fish House restaurant in Osprey, according to the Bradenton Herald, and a medical examiner hasn’t been able to determine her cause of death.
Citing police and relatives, the Herald reported that the boyfriend claimed he took her back to the marina, a claim that has been corroborated by witnesses. He reportedly said he didn’t take Hunt to the doctor, despite her vomiting on the boat after the fall, because she insisted she wanted to go home to wash the vomit from her hair.
Where things become unclear is after Hunt was showered or showered herself: One account is that she went to lay on the couch as her condition worsened; the boyfriend reportedly told relatives that he left the room momentarily and returned to find Hunt with her eyes rolled back.
Authorities and relatives reportedly said Hunt’s boyfriend called a friend before calling 911. The time between the two calls is unclear.
Relatives who spoke with the Herald said they suspected the boyfriend was abusive towards Hunt, though she never said so explicitly. Hunt reportedly did show them harassing, threatening text messages he had sent during their time split up. The family said she also had a suspicious broken arm and had asked how to go about getting a restraining order.
“He was so toxic for her,” her aunt told WFLA in reference to the boyfriend.
While the man hasn’t been deemed a person of interest, Manatee County police said he has stopped cooperating in their ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, his attorney claimed he spoke with officers at the hospital and a detective the following day.
“It would be nice if we could talk with him,” police spokesman Randy Warren told WFLA. “We would like just a clearer idea of what happened on that boat that day.”
[Featured image: Michelle Hunt/WFLA screenshot]