VERO BEACH – The body of a 19-year-old man was found deceased on the western grass shoulder of 58th Avenue Friday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Desmond Francis Johnson, of Vero Beach, was reported missing on March 1, 2018.

According to the FHP, Johnson was struck by a vehicle while riding his skateboard northbound on the western paved shoulder of the roadway.

Last night, 58th Avenue was closed between 33rd and 37th Street.

Indian River County Sheriff’s Detectives investigated the scene where Johnson was found in the bushes.

Detectives believe it was a hit and run crash.

“[The FHP] have taken over as the lead agency,” Maj. Eric Flowers, spokesman for Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, told Sebastian Daily.

As of Saturday morning, FHP was still investigating.

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About Andy Hodges

Andy Hodges was born in Annapolis, Maryland. When he was age 9, his parents moved to Jupiter, Florida. Andy spent several years at various radio & television stations in Florida such as WLIZ, WFLX-FOX 29, WIRK, WIXI, WKSY, WRMF, and WJNO to name a few. In 1994, Andy made a career change to computer programming and worked for several technology companies (two are Fortune 500) in Atlanta, Georgia. However, Andy returned to Florida and settled in the small town of Sebastian in 2002. In 2005, he returned to the broadcasting news sector and eventually joined our news team in 2016 as editor in chief. Andy's family has lived in Sebastian for more than 45 years.