Welcome to Arrest Stories. A Palm Bay man is accused of a gruesome crime after human remains were discovered in suitcases surrounded by vultures. Here's what may have happened.
On April 20, around 5:32 p.m., Daniel, a registered sex offender, was seen arriving at the home of Lucas Sander Jones in Indialantic. Later that evening, Jones refused to let Daniel's parents or police officers inside to check on Daniel. At 9:45 p.m., no contact was ever made with Daniel.
The next day, officers responded to a report of an abandoned suitcase with vultures nearby, and they found the dismembered remains of Daniel in two abandoned suitcases. An Amazon box addressed to Jones' Indialantic home was found alongside the remains.
Lucas Jones, 19, allegedly admitted to police, "I killed somebody and cut him up." According to the police report, vultures were seen swarming around the suitcases containing human remains. One suitcase was sitting in tall grass and emitted a strong odor.
A timeline of events revealed that Colie Lee Daniel, a registered sex offender, was seen by his mother on January 11 or 12, 2017, in the presence of a 12-year-old boy, whom Daniel had allegedly molested. On March 20, Jones' girlfriend observed Daniel lying on Jones' bed, and Jones was trying to wake him. Jones then asked his girlfriend to bring cleaning supplies.
The police investigation revealed that Daniel had been murdered, and his remains were found in the suitcases in an area known as The Compound. An affidavit stated that Jones said he killed Daniel "because he was a sex offender." Jones was accused of tampering with evidence, abuse of a dead human body, and improper disposal of human remains.
A $7,500 reward was being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for Daniel's murder. Jones was taken into custody and is currently being held.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.