WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has identified a deputy who died Saturday while on a hunting trip in north Florida.
According to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, the deputy was found dead "from an apparent medical emergency."
Deputy Constantin Miclea, 56, began his law enforcement career with the city of Lake Worth (later renamed Lake Worth Beach) in 1996. He joined the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office after the city's police department merged with the agency in 2008.
Miclea most recently worked as a courthouse deputy.
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Investigators with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to search for the deputy Saturday night after the deputy's wife was unable to contact him.
Authorities were able to narrow down the deputy's location based on cellphone data and a hunting stand believed to belong to the deputy. His truck was also discovered near a lookout tower.
Deputies and FWC officers searched that area and later located Miclea's body.
According to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, there were no signs of foul play.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with this deputy's family and co-workers," Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter said. "I am proud of our deputies for partnering with other agencies and utilizing the resources available to them. They did not hesitate to exhaust every measure to find this individual so quickly and bring this family some closure."
Miclea is survived by his wife and two children.
