LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lake County Sheriff's Office is investigating a double homicide after one of their deputies found two bodies, one of them of a teenager, in a pickup truck.  

• 13-year-old Christopher Gutierrez, Jesus Pantoja found dead
  
• Truck was found parked at county roads 437 and 44A

That discovery was made around 3:20 a.m. Saturday along County Road 437 near the junction with County Road 44A. 

The Medical Examiner's Office and crime scene investigators spent hours collecting evidence from the pickup truck where the two people were found.

The bodies were later identified as 26-year-old Jesus Pantoja and 13-year-old Christopher Gutierrez, both of Apopka, deputies said. 

Sgt. Fred Jones with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the bodies were left in the bed of the pickup truck uncovered.

“The bodies were open, and I think that’s what startled the deputy when he came upon the scene. It's something you don’t expect to see. It's routine where we see vehicles on the side of the road, we try to offer assistance. But to walk up on something like that is pretty surprising,” Jones said. 

Investigators say there was evidence of trauma on the bodies. 

Deputies are searching the truck and surrounding area for evidence, including whether the men were killed in the truck or elsewhere and brought to this location. 

According to Jones, the truck had Florida plates, and detectives were searching for its owner. They’re hopeful the truck’s interior will provide more clues.

"It looked like a hurried scene, mostly likely. So hopefully, there’s some evidence there that the crime scene investigators are able to get,” Jones said.

The Sheriff's Office said the area where the truck was found was rural, so video footage may be hard to come by. Still, Pardue said he plans to check out the video footage from the Black Bear Reserve housing development. He's hopeful that the truck would have had to drive by their cameras and help deputies shed some light on what happened.

“It leaves you with kind of a helpless feeling, doesn’t it,” said Gary Pardue, who lives nearby and serves as the president of the homeowner's association at Black Bear Reserve.

Autopsies were conducted on the bodies Saturday, but no further details have been released.

“I hope the deputies and the people involved can solve this and bring the people involved to justice,” Pardue said. 

Anyone who has information about what happened or may have seen something is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office at (352) 343-2101.