Former Fox News Producer Jennifer Eckhart Death: Cops Say Knife Found Near Body

This is heartbreaking ... cops say Jennifer Eckhart's mother is the one who discovered her dead in her Florida home ... with a small knife nearby.

TMZ has obtained the incident report from the Martin County Sheriff's Office, which says Eckhart's mother contacted authorities after arriving at her daughter's home Saturday and finding her dead inside the bathtub in the master bathroom.

The report says deputies found a folding pocketknife near Eckhart and observed serious injuries from lacerations. Crime scene investigators and the Medical Examiner's Office were then called to the home.

Deputies responded shortly before noon, and a Martin County Fire Rescue paramedic pronounced Eckhart dead at 11:57 AM.

As TMZ previously reported, law enforcement sources told us Eckhart's death has been ruled a suicide.

Eckhart used to work as an associate producer at Fox Business and became widely known after accusing former Fox News anchor Ed Henry of rape in a 2020 lawsuit.

She alleged Henry sexually assaulted her while they both worked at the network and later said she had been "paralyzed by fear" while working there. Henry denied the allegations and maintained their relationship was consensual.

Fox News fired Henry in July 2020 after receiving Eckhart's complaint and conducting an outside investigation.

Eckhart was 36.