I don't see the clarity you mention. The officer first says he "began to canvas the area". That could not be vaguer: we have no way of knowing how long he "canvassed" or how far he walked before finding the body. We only know from his account that the body was found between two buildings, each of which contains numerous residences and is rather long.
Yes, two addresses are mentioned, but as we've all noted, nearly everyone who called 911 gave his individual unit's address. In the rush of the moment, nobody seems to be giving a precise GPS location of the body. The dispatcher is merely repeating two addresses she heard from two different callers. I don't see how that proves the body was lying in an invisible trapezoid drawn between those two units.
Don't get me wrong: I hope you're right and the body was indeed far from where the sidewalks met. Because that will disprove--definitively in my mind--GZ's story about crossing the green to check the address and then returning to his car.
"We only know from his account that the body was found between two buildings"? That's what you read from the report?
Obviously you can consider or not consider this as the body location. It's simply what I thought the the SPD and SFD say.
As to your being concerned with his term of "canvasing the area", let me remind you of two things. According to SPD Event Report #20120571656 for 2/26/2012, Officer Smith arrived on scene at 19:17:11 or 7:17:11 pm. He parked his squad car in front of 2821 Retreat View, which is +/- 150' from where I'm showing the body.
I don't know either what he means by "canvas" the area, but something we do know is that according to the same ER, Officer Ayala arrived 2 minutes and 41 seconds later at 19:19:52 or 7:19:52 pm. Since both Officer Smith and Officer Ayala's narratives say Zimmerman was secured when Ayala arrived, that means in 2 minutes and 41 seconds, Officer Smith not only completed his ill defined "canvas" of the area, but he secured the suspect and removed his gun as well.
How long did it take to secure Zimmerman? I don't know, but it surely didn't leave much time for any lengthy walk or "canvas".
If the body wasn't more accessible off of Retreat View, why was Officer Smith AND SFD Unit #38 directed to that street and address? If the body was anywhere near "John's" unit or the intersection of the sidewalks, why wouldn't all units have been directed to respond to Twin Trees at the "cut through" where GZ's truck was parked?