Body found near Pensacola church

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Evangelist Nathaniel B. Nicks was cutting the grass in the front yard of his church when he says he smelled a strong, foul odor coming from across the road.

Nicks followed the odor and found a dead body on the edge of the woods near the church Saturday afternoon.

"I went over and walked across the street. I looked in the bushes and saw a man's body just lying there. All I saw was the torso," said Nicks.

Nicks, who has been holding prayer services for 15 years his church on Old Corry Field Road, took FOX10 to where he found the body.

He says as soon as he realized what it was, he called Escambia County Deputies.

Investigators didn't comment but said they will release more details after the autopsy is completed Sunday or Monday.

Nicks said the conditions looked suspicious to him.

"It just appeared that someone dumped his body there. It didn't look like he was just walking and then fell," Nicks said.

News of the discovery spread quickly throughout the area.

Nicks says this isn't the first time a body has been found in these woods and he says the woods are frequented by transients.

He says seeing a thing like this never gets easier.

"I was stunned about it. When you see a person that has lost their life, you can't help but think they have family. Somebody loved them and now they're gone," said Nicks.

If you have any information, call the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.