Police searching for suspects after teen found dead in Gulfport, authorities say

Police are searching for suspects after an 18-year-old was found dead in a car near a Gulfport apartment complex this month, authorities said Monday.

The Gulfport Police Department said detectives began investigating the teenager’s death Feb. 13 after officers responded to a welfare check at the Stonegate Apartments on 21st Street.

Jason DuCre, a spokesperson for the police department, first called the case a “death investigation” but said Monday that detectives are investigating it as a homicide.

Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer identified the victim as Rogeick Cohea of Gulfport. Cohea had been inside the car for several days before officers found him, Switzer said.

The coroner was waiting for an autopsy report Monday to determine the victim’s cause of death.