Handyman arrested after missing Florida woman found dead in septic tank
03/07/2022 1:24 pm PST
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) -- A missing 57-year-old woman was found dead in her home's backyard over the weekend as officials conducted an excavation of the property.
On March 5, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said detectives discovered a body believed to be Cynthia Cole inside a septic tank in Cole's yard. Officials reportedly worked through the night on Friday, March 4, and into the early hours of March 5 digging through the backyard.
According to the statement, investigators "located the body submerged in the contents of the tank about four feet underground."
Detectives later arrested Cole's handyman, 34-year-old Keoki Hilo Demich, and booked him for second-degree murder. The Martin County Sheriff's Office says they are still working on positively identifying the body, but they have "every reason to believe it is that of Ms. Cole."
The Martin County Sheriff's Office announced Cole was missing March 2, though she had not been seen since Feb. 24 when she attended an event called Jammin' Jensen.
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