St. Augustine woman on path to become a pharmacist named as drowning victim

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A woman found dead in the Intracoastal Waterway this week was spotted walking around St. Augustine just hours earlier, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

People who knew 29-year-old Kenya Rose Che Bii says she was known for her warm, friendly and bubbly personality.

Family members told Action News Jax reporter Jamarlo Phillips she recently graduated with her certificate as a pharmacy technician and had plans to become a pharmacist.

They say she loved nature and had an appreciation for the simple things in life.

But that dream turned into a nightmare Monday morning.

Right now, deputies can only say Bii was walking through the downtown area near Washington Street around 5 am Monday and was found dead three hours later -- more than 5 miles away, near the Riverview Club by St. Augustine Shores.

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The sheriff’s office says Bii was fully clothed and had no signs of trauma when search crews found her and after an autopsy was performed, they were able to confirm she drowned.

Her family sent Action News Jax this statement which reads:

“Kenya's paternal family is from the country of Kenya in East Africa. She has always wanted to live in Kenya and that is where we are planning to lay her to rest”

Neighbors we spoke with who would often see Kenya walking by their homes are now left with more questions.

Now, deputies are working to figure out how she ended up in the water and looking for anyone she may have had contact with before she died.

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Cox Media Group