Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy to provide more insight into the death of a Florida woman after her body was found Sunday in Springville.
According to Sheriff Bob Johnson of Santa Rosa County, Florida, 37-year-old Cassie Carli of Navarre, Florida, was found dead in a shallow grave on a property off Highway 11.
The news came after a week-long missing-person investigation involving law enforcement agencies in multiple states.
“It’s not the ending that we wanted, obviously, but we’re hoping to provide a little closure for the family,” said Johnson in a press conference on Sunday.
Missing on March 28
Carli was last seen in the parking lot of a restaurant in Navarre, Fla., on Mar. 27, where she was meeting with Marcus Spanevelo, her ex-boyfriend and father of her four-year-old daughter.
Carli’s father reported her missing on Mar. 28, and authorities located Carli’s vehicle behind the restaurant.
According to Johnson, Spanevelo told her father she told him to drop her off “in the middle of nowhere in Destin” so she could be with a friend.
The search
Johnson said investigators had to serve multiple search warrants in numerous states before locating Carli’s body.
“They went over 1,500 miles in this investigation, multiple search warrants on cars, phones, houses, properties,” said Johnson. “I just cannot speak highly enough about them.”
On Saturday evening, Investigators found Carli in a shallow grave in a barn in Springville. Johnson is not revealing how they discovered the location. “We had information that led us to that place. We got a search warrant, and we discovered the body.”
Spanevelo does have connections to the area where the body was found, authorities said.
Johnson said investigators confirmed Clari's identity by a tattoo.
“It’s a tattoo in a place where you don’t normally have a tattoo, and the type of tattoo has led us to believe that this is her, that and the property coinciding with the suspect.”
Spanevelo arrested
Johnson said Spanevelo is the suspect.
In Lebanon, Tenn., the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Highway Patrol arrested Spanevelo after he was stopped for a traffic violation.
He is charged with tampering with evidence, giving false information concerning a missing person's investigation and destruction of evidence. Spanevelo is yet to be charged with murder.
“He was totally uncooperative,” Johnson said. “He never cooperated at all with us. And that goes a long way.”
Investigators believe Spanevelo took Carli’s phone, disposed of it and lied to the authorities on multiple occasions.
“I think he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison, or he’s going to get the needle,” said Johnson. “Hopefully, the needle.”
The Florida State Attorney's Office said if Spanevelo fights extradition from Tennessee, they will have to go through the governor's office to get a warrant. However, they said it's a “pretty routine process.”
Johnson said the investigation is ongoing.
“It’s not over until he goes to prison," Johnson said.
Spanevelo made his first appearance in court Monday afternoon. He chose not to waive extradition. Florida has 10 days to notify Tennessee of its intent to extradite. The court will meet again on Apr. 13 to review his extradition status.
Domestic violence donations
Loved ones of the victim said they warned Carli about the dangers of domestic violence. They have already launched a new effort to help women suffering from domestic violence.
The Cassie Carli Foundation will strive to educate victims of domestic violence.
Carli and Spanevelo’s child is safe with family.
Johnson and other authorities are waiting autopsy results.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email will.blakely@1819News.com.
