Authorities were investigating after an 18-year-old man was found dead inside his Lauderdale Lakes home Monday.
“The stepfather came home just before 4 o'clock Monday afternoon, and found his stepson deceased,” Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said of the victim, identified as Steven Rutty.
The stepfather called 911, and authorities responded to the home at 3760 Northwest 27th St.
The victim’s cause of death is not being released at this time, BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella said. The BSO said it is investigating Rutty’s death as a homicide, however.
Investigators combed Rutty’s pink house and the orange home next door for clues.
Loved ones held on to each other for support, but the weight of the loss bore down especially hard on Rutty's mother, who collapsed from grief and was treated by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.
“She's unstable. Her pressure is very high,” family friend Jennifer Granville said.
Jachles said that Rutty was last seen by his mother, when she left for work Monday morning.
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Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida