JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of former NFL player Louis Nix III is still left with more questions than answers about his death.
Last Wednesday, Feb. 24, Stephanie Wingfield reported her son, Nix, was missing.
On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office pulled a car out of the pond in the area of 13100 Broxton Bay Drive, matching the description of Nix’s car.
Action News Jax’s Courtney Cole shares what we’re learning from the newly released incident report, which was filed when Nix was declared missing.
“I’m going to miss my baby,” Wingfield told Action News Jax during an interview on Sunday.
According to the JSO incident report, the sheriff’s office came out to Wingfield’s home last Wednesday, Feb. 24, to file a missing person report for her son. According to the report, Wingfield said she “has not received a phone call from her son in a couple of days, which is unusual of him.”
“I’ll talk with him religiously every day, whether it was a call, text or whatever,” Wingfield told Action News Jax.
She told police he stayed with Ketarah Reed, his girlfriend; that’s where he spent “most of his time.” Wingfield told police Reed’s apartment is also on Broxton Bay Drive. When Cole went out to the area, she noticed it’s located just down the road from the pond where JSO found a car matching the description of Nix’s car on Saturday.
The incident report also includes Reed explaining to police she suspected Nix was intoxicated “due to the sound of his voice and choice of affectionate words” during a phone call he made to her. She told police he was on his way to her apartment but never showed up. Reed also said Nix was driving with a friend named Mike Cutler.
Cole reached out to JSO to learn how Nix ended up in the pond and if there is any indication of what led to his death.
Christian Hancock, one of the public information officers for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, responded via email.
When Cole asked how JSO found Nix’s car, he said: “There were indications at the water’s edge that suggested a vehicle being driven into the water – the vehicle was found upon searching the pond.”
Cole also asked if there’s any indication someone else could have been involved in Nix’s death and if Cutler is considered a person of interest. Hancock said since this is still an active investigation, no further information has been given in relation to specifics.
As far as Nix suffering any injuries prior to his car ending up in the pond, Hancock said this information will come from the medical examiner’s findings following their investigation.
Wingfield said she just wants to know what happened.
“I guess I have to wait for the process, and it’s hard,” Wingfield said.
Dale Carson, our Action News Jax law and safety expert, said it can take time for information in a case like this to be released.
Carson said investigators must have a full understanding of what actually happened.
“You want to keep those bits of information that are critical to any kind of investigation of a death close to the vest so that it doesn’t get discolored by other people who have an interest in the investigation,” Carson said.
Carson told us the next steps of an investigation like this typically include examining the body to determine the cause of death and sending off a blood sample to determine if any type of chemical was involved.
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