Body of Hospital Patient Found in Canal

A patient who walked away from Mease-Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor Friday afternoon was found dead in the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal, nearly five hours after he was seen leaving the hospital.

Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputies say around 4:20 p.m. they responded to a call from hospital personnel, about Terry Len Burch, 47, who had left the hospital wearing a hospital gown and red sox. A hospital security guard followed Burch and saw him head toward the canal, which is located at Curlew and McMullen Booth Roads.

Witnesses reported seeing Burch wading in the water, heading northward in the canal, before he disappeared from their sight.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office dispatched various units who searched for Burch by air, water, and land. A K-9 Unit also helped with the search according to Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Cecilia Barreda.

At 9:17 p.m., members of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Dive Team located Burch's body in the canal, near the spot where he went in the water. Divers used a side-scan sonar -which shows images underneath the water- to find the body.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) crews assisted with the search with four officers on jet skis and two others on a boat according to FWC Public Information Officer, George Wells. The Safety Harbor Fire Department also assisted.

The Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal links the southern portion of Lake Tarpon to Old Tampa Bay.

Burch was a resident of Oldsmar.