Officials confirmed on Sunday that the remains of missing Florida mother Cassie Carli was discovered Saturday night in a shallow grave in Alabama, nearly a week after she vanished while on her way to pick up her kid 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 is linked to Carli’s ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo, who is presently in detention, according to the sheriff.
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 due for Monday, more charges against Spanevelo are expected.
Carli, 37, was recognized by a tattoo on her torso, according to police.
“Obviously, it’s not the result we intended,” Johnson told reporters, “but we’re hoping to provide the family some peace.”
She has been missing for one week after going to Navarre Beach in Pensacola to pick up her 4-year-old daughter, Saylor, during a custody exchange with Spanevelo, the tot’s father.
Sheriff Johnson anticipates Spanevelo to be extradited from Tennessee to the Santa Rosa County Jail.
“He refused to cooperate in any way. He was never willing to work with us,” he stated. “That’s a big deal.” You’re refusing to assist police because your baby’s mother has gone missing? “It’s a dead giveaway,” says the narrator.
Authorities interviewed Spanevelo in Birmingham on Wednesday, and they confirmed that Saylor was safe. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and Tennessee Highway Patrol placed him under surveillance in Tennessee, which culminated in his arrest on Friday.
He was charged with his current offenses after reportedly stealing Carli’s phone and disposing of it. According to the sheriff, he also “lied a few of times in different circumstances.”
The sheriff added, “I feel we have a good case.” The narrator states, “And I believe he’ll either spend the rest of his life in prison or get the needle.”
Saylor has been taken into custody by the Tennessee Department of Children and Families, according to WEAR.
