A Florida man arrested after human remains were found in two suitcases in a remote area of Brevard County, authorities said.
According to Brevard County Sheriff’s Office online booking records, Lucas Sander Jones, 19, of Indialantic, is facing charges of tampering with evidence, abuse of a dead human body and improper disposal of human remains.
Jones was arrested early Sunday but was released several hours later after posting a $7,500 bond, online records show.
On March 28, police in Palm Bay responded to an area of the city known as “The Compound,” WFTV reported. Upon arrival, officers encountered vultures swarming around an abandoned suitcase.
Officers confirmed that they saw what appeared to be human remains in a partially opened suitcase, according to the television station. Another suitcase, also containing human remains, was discovered a short distance from the first piece of luggage.
Police believe the remains that were found were associated with Colie Lee Daniel, WFTV reported. Daniel was reported missing on March 22, according to an arrest affidavit.
Evidence at the scene, such as a shipping package addressed to Jones, led investigators to obtain a warrant and search his residence in Indialantic, according to the television station.
Police have not confirmed whether the remains were those of Daniel.
According to the arrest affidavit, detectives said they discovered Jones with “visible healed wounds” and bruises on his left shoulder and the right side of his neck. Investigators also interviewed Jones’ girlfriend, who stated that she saw Daniel lying on a bed at Jones’ residence on March 20.
She added that Daniel appeared to be “sleeping or unconscious.”
On March 21, the girlfriend told detectives that Jones asked her to drive him to the “Compound.” At the site, she observed Jones removing two “gray tote containers” from her vehicle and discard them in separate areas of the 2,784-acre area in southwestern Palm Bay.
She told investigators that she did not know what was inside the containers. The woman added that she did not recall seeing two black suitcases but believed they had been discarded at the “Compound,” the arrest affidavit stated.
Jones is scheduled to be arraigned on April 21, court documents show.
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