Man suspected of dismembering body in Florida dies of self-inflicted gunshot wound

INVERNESS, Fla. (AP) — A 75-year-old man suspected in the dismembering death of a man at a home in north Florida has died, sheriff’s officials said.

Someone called deputies about a possible murder at a home in Inverness, which is 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Tampa, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Saturday.

They knocked on the door and announced themselves, but got no answer. Deputies then began checking the home’s perimeter, the statement said.

In the backyard, they saw a large butcher-style knife, along with blood and drag marks on the ground.

The deputies continued trying to contact Jonathan Dimick Sr., 75, who they now considered a suspect in a crime, the statement said.

Deputies entered the home and found Dimick sitting in his living room. He was unresponsive, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was given emergency medical treatment and taken by helicopter to a hospital where he later died of his injuries, the statement said.

A further investigation led deputies to the dismembered body of a man in the trunk of a vehicle at the home.

The statement offered no details about the man, how he may have known Dimick, or when he was killed.

“The scene our deputies responded to was absolutely shocking,” Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast said. “It is truly unfortunate that our suspect will never be prosecuted for this brutal crime.”