The body of a missing Florida mother was discovered in a shallow grave in Alabama on Saturday night, April 2.
Cassie Carli had been gone for about a week when she was discovered.
Officials confirmed on Sunday, April 3 that she vanished while on her way to pick up her daughter Saylor in a custody exchange with her ex-boyfriend.
Carli’s body was discovered buried inside a barn in Springville, about 300 miles north of where she was last seen in Navarre Beach, according to Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson, who spoke during a press conference on Sunday.
The property has ties to Carli’s ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo, who is presently in detention, according to the sheriff, who did not elaborate on the connection.
According to the sheriff, Spanevelo faces charges of tampering with evidence and presenting false information in connection with the investigation.
Following the results of an autopsy slated for Monday, April 4, more charges against Spanevelo are expected to be filed.
She went missing one week ago on Sunday, April 3, after going to Navarre Beach in Pensacola to pick up her 4-year-old daughter, Saylor, during a custody exchange with the child’s father, Spanevelo.
Sheriff Johnson anticipates Spanevelo to be extradited from Tennessee to the Santa Rosa County Jail.
Johnson stated, ” “He refused to cooperate in any way. He was never willing to work with us. And that counts for a lot. It’s your baby’s mother who’s gone missing, and you’re refusing to help authorities? That’s a dead giveaway.”
On Wednesday, March 30, Spanevelo was interviewed by officials in Birmingham, who confirmed that Saylor was safe.
In Tennessee, police placed him under observation, which culminated in his arrest by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and Tennessee Highway Patrol on Friday, April 1.
He was charged with his current offenses after reportedly stealing Carli’s phone and disposing of it. He also “lied a couple of times in different settings,” according to the sheriff.
According to the sheriff, “I believe we have a strong case. And I believe he will either spend the rest of his life in prison or get injected with heroin.”
Saylor, the couple’s daughter, has been taken into custody by the Tennessee Department of Children and Families.