TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa household mentioned they consider the teenager discovered useless close to the Courtney Campbell Causeway Sunday is a 16-year-old Hillsborough County scholar.
Whereas investigators haven’t confirmed his identification, his household is talking out.
Eniola Olafemi, 16, was final seen on Nov. 12 by his grandmother, Cathy Jackson.
“I mentioned, ‘are you going to go to high school and keep there all day,'” Jackson mentioned. “He mentioned, ‘grandma, I’m going to high school and going to remain all day lengthy.’ I mentioned okay child, and that is the final time I seen him.”
His household mentioned they spent days looking out and handing out flyers, determined for solutions. Then on Sunday, detectives delivered the devastating information.
“They mentioned, we discovered the physique at Courtney Campbell Causeway, and we predict it is your grandson,” Jackson mentioned. “They wished to know once more what he was carrying.”
His grandmother mentioned now she is left with painful questions.
“They could not even inform me how he died, how he ended up within the water for 2 days,” she mentioned. “I say, honey, he’d been lacking for eight days. The place has he been the remaining [of those] days? They mentioned we do not know but.”
Jackson mentioned detectives do not consider the demise was suspicious.
“I feel anyone kidnapped him,” she mentioned. “I actually do.”
As investigators work to substantiate the establish the physique discovered close to the Courtney Campbell Causeway, Eniola’s household is holding to hope. They describe the teenager as somebody with a sort and beneficiant spirit.
His household has a go fund me arrange here to assist with funeral bills.