Port Charlotte neighbors shaken by death investigation on their street

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WINK)—The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office is investigating one death at a home in Port Charlotte.

Investigators and the forensic team cleared away crime scene tape after processing the scene. The sheriff's office has not released information about the victim's identity or age.

The homeowner and the homeowner's girlfriend were escorted back to the home after speaking with detectives and the Department of Children and Families. Before leaving, detectives removed brown evidence bags from the home.

Neighbors woke up surprised to see caution tape and a sheriff's vehicle surrounding the family's home. The front door to the home was open, and a baby's blanket and toy were hanging off a couch arm.

"My kids have played in the area, so it's like, whoa, this is too close to home, you know?" neighbor Alexandriea Smith said.

Smith moved to the area less than a month ago. Her kids have played with the two children who live in the home at the center of the investigation, whom she says are between 5 and 12 years old.

"I'm devastated. Like- In this area, like, makes me kinda like, kinda regret my move, you know? 'Cause now I feel like I have to continue to be on my Ps and Qs, and that's not a good feeling as a parent," Smith said.

One neighbor said he thinks the woman living at the home was pregnant, but no one saw a baby.

"It's a really sad, sad situation that there was an innocent life, you know, that was involved, so. It's not something anybody wants to hear, you know. It's, it's super sad," neighbor Ashley Bailey said.

"That's, like, heartbreaking, actually. Like, that's heartbreaking because that baby is innocent. All children are innocent," Smith said.

The sheriff's office has yet to release information about the victim or whether anyone has or will be arrested.