Corpse found in canal near home of missing Sebastian woman

By Lamaur Stancil

 February 2, 2009

SEBASTIAN — An alert searcher Saturday chopped through heavy vegetation to find a corpse in a small canal within one-tenth of a mile from the home of a woman reported missing five months ago, police said.

Authorities won’t know for a couple of weeks whether the body found was 50-year-old Marcia Hulihan, Sebastian police spokesman Steve Marcinik said. But there have been no other leads for Hulihan’s whereabouts since her Sept. 7 disappearance.  The wooden area is north of Hulihan’s home at the Pelican Isles apartment complex. The area, which stretches from the complex to Main Street, features several dirt trails wide enough for vehicles to fit through.  The body found Saturday was waist deep in one of the narrow canals in the area, Marcinik said.  The canal was less than 10 feet wide and mostly covered with vegetation.  “The searcher had to use a machete to get through the growth and reach the canal,” Marcinik said.  The canal was just north of a large lake, where a long yellow rope tied to a tree branch indicates people may visit for a plunge. The body was wearing female-type clothing, Marcinik said.  Police had previously searched the area. However, Tropical Storm Fay in August dumped nearly 2 feet of rain on Sebastian, Marcinik said. The area was saturated with water when police conducted searches there in September, Marcinik said. Police notified Hulihan’s family, most of whom live out of state, about Saturday’s discovery, Marcinik said.  Saturday’s search crew included more than 20 people led by Fred Golba, a seasonal resident who operates Coast to Coast Canine Services in Massachusetts. The crew agreed to participate in the search Saturday on a volunteer basis for training purposes, Marcinik said. The volunteers included the Tampa-based Florida-3 Airboat Search and Rescue team and Intercoastal Search and Recovery, officials said.  The corpse was found at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Volunteers spent another 12 hours in the wooden area searching for more evidence for the investigation, Marcinik said. Police would not reveal what items were collected Saturday.  No foul play is suspected in the death of the body found Saturday, Marcinik said.