Found Deceased FL - Stephanie Chitwood Hollingsworth, 50, Belle Isle, 25 Sept 2020

I hope the toxicology reports will show this. If it was foul play, the bottle could have been emptied prior. I’m hoping they don’t just rule it out as suicide and that they run all tests to be sure.
The medical examiner is required by law to do a full investigation on any death that is unexpected, violent, or unnatural and show evidence to back up finding. JMO and previous experience, but short of a suicide note it would seem hard to prove suicide in this case especially with the tire tracks they believe to be hers (linked previously). That said, we don't know the facts on what has been found. Can't speak for Florida but the medical examiners in my state are very cautious about listing death as suicide unless it's black and white. This is partially in deference to the family as well as the legal implications concerning insurance , law suits etc..
 
That is very interesting.. I see what you mean. Thanks for posting picture. So it does not seem like she was driving too fast and went off the road into the pond. She must have pulled all the way back there for privacy- perhaps to drink or whatever she was doing. Maybe went into reverse by accident and car went into the pond. Really I have no idea. I just really don't think foul play. Perhaps suicide but how would anyone ever really know?
Someone said her husband didnt report her missing until the next day. But doesn't LE make you wait a certain amount of hours before an adult can be considered missing and a search can start?

I really, really feel for her family.

I’ve always heard that LE does NOT make you wait before reporting someone missing. Obviously, with 50 states, and a multitude of city and county police departments, there’s room for different policies.

However, the commonly held belief that there’s a fixed waiting period will certainly make people be slow to report a missing adult.

MOO
 
I'm sorry. I think this case effected a lot of people here. I think a lot of us were hoping she would show up alive. I know I was. I agree with you that if it was indeed an accident, it wouldn't have occurred in the back of the pond there. Its the most inconspicuous place to put the vehicle in the pond. Its away from the main road, there's no houses, and I'm sure its pitch black there at night with very little through traffic since that community is still being built. Very odd. What is the white-ish thing in the back there? Old concrete?
The white-ish thing is a concrete pad.
 
I’ve always heard that LE does NOT make you wait before reporting someone missing. Obviously, with 50 states, and a multitude of city and county police departments, there’s room for different policies.

However, the commonly held belief that there’s a fixed waiting period will certainly make people be slow to report a missing adult.

MOO
I agree. The laws have become so much better than years ago. Generally there is never a waiting period if a child OR adult is thought to be endangered. I have seen times where LE advise people to wait a while but that is based on their experiences and views. There is missing and there is endangered missing. I have wondered if the "mental health issues" SH's husband spoke of helped get the search started quicker but who knows.

Florida's statute:
"937.021 Missing child and missing adult reports.—
(1) Law enforcement agencies in this state shall adopt written policies that specify the procedures to be used to investigate reports of missing children and missing adults. The policies must ensure that cases involving missing children and adults are investigated promptly using appropriate resources." Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine
BBM
 
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I wondered the same thing. It's not old, this whole area is brand spanking new - I believe the location in which she was found might even still be under construction. Google's 3D globe data doesn't show either that road or that pond even existing. There also isn't street-view data, the street-view of that area ends at barrels blocking Dowden at Story-Time, the intersection immediately before the pond she was found in but here's a street-view of a similar structure on the previous pond. I'm still not 100% sure what its purpose is but it appears to be a concave cement pad that extends into the pond and surrounded by posts and fencing. Maybe some kind of a drain that filters out large debris. The one on the pond she was found in appears to be under construction in the aerial view which is tagged from 2020 so a person might have accidentally driven into it thinking they were just going to drive around to the back side of the pond, especially if they were intoxicated.
OFD responding to submerged vehicle . Unconfirmed reports it is her:(

Early Saturday afternoon MSM reported the search of a retention pond in the Innovation Way area (Dowden Rd & Story Time Dr). Google car along Dowen Rd takes you past the black fenced pond depicted in your photo. However, this is not the pond where SH vehicle located according to News 13 and confirmed with reporter Rachel Krause. The black fenced pond is about 2 blocks from the actual open retention pond where the truck was submerged.

Rachael Krause@RKrause_News

This is the pond where Stephanie Hollingsworth’s missing truck was found Saturday. The Belle Isle mom has been missing since Sept. 25. Inside the truck, investigators found a body but police have not made an identification yet.
@MyNews13





7:46 AM · Oct 18, 2020·
 
I'm sorry. I think this case effected a lot of people here. I think a lot of us were hoping she would show up alive. I know I was. I agree with you that if it was indeed an accident, it wouldn't have occurred in the back of the pond there. Its the most inconspicuous place to put the vehicle in the pond. Its away from the main road, there's no houses, and I'm sure its pitch black there at night with very little through traffic since that community is still being built. Very odd. What is the white-ish thing in the back there? Old concrete?
The white-ish thing is a concrete pad.
Early Saturday afternoon MSM reported the search of a retention pond in the Innovation Way area (Dowden Rd & Story Time Dr). Google car along Dowen Rd takes you past the black fenced pond depicted in your photo. However, this is not the pond where SH vehicle located according to News 13 and confirmed with reporter Rachel Krause. The black fenced pond is about 2 blocks from the actual open retention pond where the truck was submerged.

Rachael Krause@RKrause_News

This is the pond where Stephanie Hollingsworth’s missing truck was found Saturday. The Belle Isle mom has been missing since Sept. 25. Inside the truck, investigators found a body but police have not made an identification yet.
@MyNews13





7:46 AM · Oct 18, 2020·
That is the pond indicated in my photo. It's on the left side of Dowden, heading East (towards where it dead-ends) just after Story Time. South on Narcoosee, Left on Dowden, Pond is on the left just after Story Time. The yellow circle in the pond is the area where her car was.
 
The white-ish thing is a concrete pad.

That is the pond indicated in my photo. It's on the left side of Dowden, heading East (towards where it dead-ends) just after Story Time. South on Narcoosee, Left on Dowden, Pond is on the left just after Story Time. The yellow circle in the pond is the area where her car was.

I'm sorry I misunderstood. There is no concrete in my pond referenced -- that concrete pad belongs to the other pond surrounded by the black fence.

Found Deceased - FL - Stephanie Chitwood Hollingsworth, 50, Belle Isle, 25 Sept 2020

ETA: this is a short distance away where black fence is on both sides of Dowden Rd

cbk
 
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Early Saturday afternoon MSM reported the search of a retention pond in the Innovation Way area (Dowden Rd & Story Time Dr). Google car along Dowen Rd takes you past the black fenced pond depicted in your photo. However, this is not the pond where SH vehicle located according to News 13 and confirmed with reporter Rachel Krause. The black fenced pond is about 2 blocks from the actual open retention pond where the truck was submerged.

Rachael Krause@RKrause_News

This is the pond where Stephanie Hollingsworth’s missing truck was found Saturday. The Belle Isle mom has been missing since Sept. 25. Inside the truck, investigators found a body but police have not made an identification yet.
@MyNews13





7:46 AM · Oct 18, 2020·
Just to add... because I am confused from other posts without links. This was Rachael Kraus' response to which pond the vehicle was found:
"It’s off Dowden Road past the turn for Story Time Drive"
https://twitter.com/RKrause_News/status/1318187698029531139
 
Just to add... because I am confused from other posts without links. This was Rachael Kraus' response to which pond the vehicle was found:
"It’s off Dowden Road past the turn for Story Time Drive"
https://twitter.com/RKrause_News/status/1318187698029531139
What she is saying is correct and the same that I am saying. Off Dowden Rd, past Story Time Dr, heading East on Dowden, towards the dead-end where they are doing new construction. Driving East on Dowden Rd, Story Time Dr is on the right, the pond is on the left almost immediately after.
 
Early Saturday afternoon MSM reported the search of a retention pond in the Innovation Way area (Dowden Rd & Story Time Dr). Google car along Dowen Rd takes you past the black fenced pond depicted in your photo. However, this is not the pond where SH vehicle located according to News 13 and confirmed with reporter Rachel Krause. The black fenced pond is about 2 blocks from the actual open retention pond where the truck was submerged.

Rachael Krause@RKrause_News

This is the pond where Stephanie Hollingsworth’s missing truck was found Saturday. The Belle Isle mom has been missing since Sept. 25. Inside the truck, investigators found a body but police have not made an identification yet.
@MyNews13





7:46 AM · Oct 18, 2020·
The photo I posted is from street view of what I took to be an analogous structure on the previous pond. If these pictures are of the pond the car was found in, which they seem to be, then that structure at the back of the pond does look like a simple flat cement pad above the water level.
 
What she is saying is correct and the same that I am saying. Off Dowden Rd, past Story Time Dr, heading East on Dowden, towards the dead-end where they are doing new construction. Driving East on Dowden Rd, Story Time Dr is on the right, the pond is on the left almost immediately after.
Got it. I think the confusion comes from statements made in posts that are a violation of TOS by not providing MSM links to verify. Posts that don't meet the rules are great examples of why following the rules are so important. This subject was a perfect example.
 
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Got it. I think the confusion comes from statements made in posts that are a violation of TOS by not providing MSM links to verify. Posts that don't meet the rules are great examples of why following the rules are so important. This subject was a perfect example.
Understood. I apologize. I haven't posted here in awhile so I need to re-read the rules. I wasn't trying to cause any confusion, I just wanted to bring more awareness to this case but should have checked the TOS and rules prior to refresh my memory.
 
Just a side-note regarding the vehicle being at the backside of the pond ...

A modern airtight vehicle will float for a long time .... a bit of inertia or a light breeze could move it quite a ways.

Yet that begs the question .... if it floated for several minutes she should have had time to exit the vehicle.

Unless she panicked and couldn't push the door open (water pressure) ... or the doors were locked and she didn't realize it ...... or the electric door locks and electric windows wouldn't work under water .

Lots of possibilities. I have heard that automotive electrical locks and windows will still work under water ... apparently even headlights will stay on for a while .... I do not know for sure.
 
Forgot to also mention .... some cars you cannot unlock the doors if the car is in drive ..... has to be in park .... it is a safety feature (kids) ... in a panic most folks would not think of it.

I expect the contents of the vodka bottle and toxicology reports will be relevant.

Sad situation whatever the cause
 
Her vehicle was 20 years old so I'm not sure if it had electric locks/windows or not or how well of a seal it would have. Either way.. if this occurred in the middle of the afternoon wouldn't you think someone would have seen/heard something?
 
Understood. I apologize. I haven't posted here in awhile so I need to re-read the rules. I wasn't trying to cause any confusion, I just wanted to bring more awareness to this case but should have checked the TOS and rules prior to refresh my memory.
Glad your posting again! I learned the hard way lol.
 

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