WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An investigation is underway in West Palm Beach, Florida after a bicyclist fell to her death while on an opening draw bridge that connects the city to Palm Beach.

West Palm Beach police said Sunday that an older woman, whose name has not been released, was walking her bike across the Royal Park Bridge when it started going up.

She was just 10 feet away from the end of the bridge when she fell to her death through a gap in the road, authorities said.

Elizabeth Humphreys

"The woman tried to hang on. There was a bystander nearby who tried to help her, but tragically she fell five or six stories below where she died landing on concrete," said West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles.

"There is a bridge tender, and that bridge tender has certain safety protocols to follow, specific safety protocols...that includes lowering of the gates for the vehicles, lowering of the gates for the pedestrians, and making several visual confirmations that there is nobody at either of the spans or past those gates."

The Royal Park Bridge was closed for nearly six hours and is equipped with barriers and bells alerting people when the bridge is going up.

Elizabeth Humphreys

While police look into what went wrong, bicycle safety advocates like Juan Orellana said the Royal Park Bridge is highly trafficked.

"Palm Beach is accessible only through three bridges and this is the main bridge, so it's very used by cyclists," Orellana said. "For one thing you will hear the bell before the arms go down, so when you hear the bell you gotta get out of the way before the bridge goes up," Orellana said.

"Always drive defensively, always be aware of your surroundings, see what's going on, because it's our life that we're playing with sometimes," he said.

Elizabeth Humphreys

Palm Beach police will study surveillance video as their investigation continues and local safety advocates are urging residents and tourists to be alert and aware when on roadways and bridges.

This story was originally published by Joel Lopez of WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A homeless man from Miami was charged with the murder of 14-year-old Ryan Rogers, who was found stabbed to death in Palm Beach Gardens.

Semmie Lee Williams Jr., 39, was taken into custody in Miami on Wednesday, according to police.

Palm Beach Gardens police charged Williams with first-degree murder with a weapon. His first appearance in court was Thursday morning, where he was told he will be held without bond.

Officials said there is no motive at this time and they believe this was a completely random incident with "an innocent child victim."

"It appears to be an absolute chance encounter between a child on a bike and an animal that probably should not be out on our streets," said Chief Clint Shannon.

The investigation

Rogers was found dead on Nov. 16 just south of the I-95 overpass on Central Boulevard with his bike nearby. He was found two dozen feet from the sidewalk in a wooded area out of plain sight. He had gone missing one day earlier after his mother said he had left his home on his bike and not returned, according to police.

Data from Rogers' phone revealed he was traveling south on the I-95 overpass and stopped at about 7:31 p.m. Williams was seen on surveillance video walking northbound on Central Boulevard at 7:20 p.m. The two would have crossed paths at about 7:31 p.m., according to investigators.

"He has no ties that we can determine to Palm Beach Gardens or Palm Beach County — none whatsoever. It’s a mystery to us why this man was in our community but we have evidence that places him on the scene and makes him responsible for the murder of this child," Chief Clint Shannon said.

The autopsy results showed Rogers was stabbed multiple times in the head and face, police said. His cause of death was ruled a homicide.

Police said headphones were found at the crime scene that did not belong to Rogers. A DNA sample produced a positive match belonging to Williams.

When Williams was located in Miami, a bloodstained bandana was found in his backpack, investigators said. Further analysis showed the two contributors to the bloodstains were Rogers and Williams.

When he was interviewed by law enforcement, Williams denied any interaction with Rogers.

Officials said while he was located in Miami, there is evidence that he traveled to Palm Beach County on Nov. 15 and returned to Miami the following day.

Officials said the investigation was "extremely challenging" from the beginning, and there was a lot of information that couldn't be released to the public without endangering what they were doing. The investigation moved very rapidly, with a lot of local and federal departments helping, according to Palm Beach Gardens police.

Earlier this week, police said parents should remain vigilant and take steps they feel are appropriate with regard to their children's activities in public.

Palm Beach Gardens Police said they increased patrols in the community amid the investigation. The chief said that while people should always be vigilant, the community is safe, they "removed a dangerous monster from the streets," and this incident could have happened in any location.

Shannon said he met with Ryan's parents Thursday morning to offer condolences in this "unimaginable tragedy."

The investigation is ongoing at this time, and police said there are still many details that can't yet be revealed.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Town of Palm Beach, Florida, is considering its legal options as former President Donald Trump is still living at his Mar-a-Lago club, a possible violation of a 1993 agreement.

Town Manager Kirk Blouin said in a brief email Thursday that Palm Beach is examining its options and the matter might be discussed at the town council's February meeting.

Trump and the town agreed nearly 30 years ago when he turned the estate into a club that he would not live there more than seven days consecutively or more than 21 days a year.

Back in December, a lawyer for the DeMoss family, who owns property next door to the resort, sent a letter to the town in regards to the agreement, according to The New York Times and The Seattle Times.

Trump's office disputes that there's an agreement, saying nothing prevents him from living there.

According to the Palm Beach Post reported, when Trump converted the residence into the club, his lawyer assured the council in 1993 that Trump would not live at the club.