Investigation opened after woman found dead in Carrollwood

Romy Ellenbogen, Tampa Bay Times
·1 min read

A woman, who is in her 60s, was found dead at a home in Carrollwood after friends reported not seeing her since May 24, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating.

The woman’s body was found on the 11000 block of Cypress Park Street on Monday, according to the office. The Sheriff’s Office was contacted by concerned friends on Sunday saying they had not heard from the woman.

When deputies interviewed a relative of the woman living in the home, they noticed inconsistencies and got a search warrant for the property, said spokesperson Crystal Clark.

The Sheriff’s Office believes foul play was involved in the death and is asking neighborhood residents who may have seen something or who have security cameras to come forward. The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death.

No one has been detained in the investigation, Clark said.

No further information was immediately available.

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The only institution that can fund a comprehensive reparations program large enough to atone for the lost wages of slavery or bridge the racial wealth gap is the federal government, he said. “This is not a matter of personal guilt,” he added, estimating that such a comprehensive program would require $11 trillion. “This is a matter of national responsibility.” Public support for reparations has grown over the years, from 19% of those surveyed in 1999 to 31% in 2021, according to polls from ABC and The Washington Post. But even within the seminary, the atonement program drew some pushback. Markham said a handful of donors had objected and had said they would no longer contribute money. They also heard from some people who asked to be removed from the seminary’s mailing lists. In determining how to provide reparations, a common dividing line has been whether to provide cash. 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Payments are a fundamental part of the Virginia seminary’s program, said Ebonee Davis, the associate for multicultural ministries, but she added that relationships with families as well as the recognition of their ancestors’ contributions were also crucial. “I’ve cried on the phone with shareholders,” she said. “We’ve laughed and kind of shared our disbelief that this is actually happening.” It is no small task to confirm the identities of enslaved people who worked at the seminary, along with their descendants. It is likely that from 1823 to 1865, at least 290 people labored there, according to the research staff. From 1865 to 1951, there were probably hundreds more. Gerald Wanzer, one of the shareholders, said the records examined by the seminary had revealed new details about several members of his family who worked there as general laborers, laundresses and janitors. His great-grandfather, a blacksmith, is believed to have been the first. 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