Missing South Tampa woman’s body discovered off Ballast Point: TPD
TAMPA, Fla. - The body of a South Tampa woman who vanished late Friday night has been found.
According to the Tampa Police Department, 72-year-old Miriam Nordlinger’s body was found on Sunday in the waters off Ballast Point.
Nordlinger was reported missing after she left her South Tampa home located on the 1500 block of S. Arrawana Avenue late Friday night and never returned. A purple alert was issued for her on Saturday.
On Saturday, law enforcement officers, family members, and volunteers from local group "We Are the Essentials" set out to search for Nordlinger.
"We carry a big burden on our shoulders as former law enforcement officers and military service members to be able to give these families answers, it’s never closure, it’s always an answer, and one answer will require another answer," said Billy Lane, the search and recovery director for We Are the Essentials. "Our job was to get feet on the ground and start tracking her last movements, speaking with the family, trying to figure out what her state of mind was and who she last communicated with, when she last went missing."
Pictured: Miriam Nordlinger. Image is courtesy of the Tampa Police Department.
Police say while the investigation is in its early stages, there is nothing to suggest foul play.
"The thoughts of the entire department are with the Nordlinger family at this time," said Chief Bercaw. "This is not the outcome we had hoped for. We appreciate the concern of the community and media who helped bring awareness to the search and ask that you continue to keep the family in your thoughts as well."
"There’s never closure for a family, it’s just a hole that will never be filled, it’s an unanswered, a list of unanswered questions of why did this happen, what could I have done to have prevented this from happening," Lane said.
If you, or someone you know requires mental health assistance, please call the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay by dialing 211, or call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.