Body discovered after fall from Sunshine Skyway

The body of a Palm Harbor man who stepped off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge last week was recovered today.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Dustin J. Benson, 19, of Palm Harbor, had been fishing and drinking with friends while at the bridge about 3:42 a.m. Saturday.

Friends said Benson wandered away from them while arguing on the phone with someone. The friends went to look for him and discovered him on the northbound side of the bridge, approximately two-thirds of the way to the center span. The friends then saw Benson step off the bridge, according to authorities.

Benson's body was discovered today on Holmes Beach, south of the bridge.

The case is being investigated as a suicide, but it is still unclear whether the fall was intentional.

- Jonathan Abel, Times staff writer