Sheriff speaks on notifying the family of Cassie Carli
Florida's Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson says he personally notified the family of slain mother Cassie Carli of the news that her body was discovered in Alabama: "They're crushed."
The sister of Florida mother Cassie Carli, whose death remains shrouded in mystery, said she and her family are still seeking a murder charge against the woman’s ex-boyfriend despite the news that prosecutors have dropped the criminal counts against him.
Raeann Carli spoke to Fox News Digital on Monday, not long after learning that the charges against her sister's ex-boyfriend had been dropped. Just days before then, an Alabama coroner revealed that the cause and manner of Cassie's death were "undetermined."
Santa Rosa County records show Florida’s case against ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo for tampering with evidence and lying to law enforcement were closed after prosecutors dismissed the charges. The Florida charges did not include murder.
Raeann, who is Cassie Carli's younger sister, called the news "a letdown" but said she has heard from authorities in Florida and Alabama, where Spanevelo is expected to be transported, according to FOX 10 News.
SLAIN FLORIDA MOTHER CASSIE CARLI'S CAUSE, MANNER OF DEATH RULED 'UNDETERMINED' 6 MONTHS LATER
Cassie Carli and Marcus Spanevelo (Courtesy Carli family | Santa Rosa County Sheriff)
"In an effort to prosecute the strongest case, and after communicating with law enforcement agencies in both states, the Office of the State Attorney believes that in the interest of justice, the actions of Marcus Spanevelo are most appropriately prosecuted in Alabama," Florida Assistant State Attorney Mark Alderman wrote in court papers obtained by FOX 10. "Spanevelo will be transported by law enforcement to Alabama."
A spokesperson for Alderman did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request seeking comment and confirmation.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Monday, Raeann Carli said her family has "faith" in Florida prosecutors’ decision to transfer Spanevelo.
Marcus Spanevelo's April 17, 2022, booking photo (Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office)
"After some time and talking further with Florida and Alabama, we have faith," Carli told Fox News Digital. "There is very good reasoning for this that now Florida hopefully will pass to Alabama and help us get that murder charge quicker."
Raeann said she and her family still believe that "Marcus is to blame."
"Although initially we were upset, we are very confident that this investigation will lead to a murder charge," she said. "And what he's done will come to the light. He can try to keep it hidden and avoid all he wants, but he will face and reap what he sowed."
Cassie Carli, 37, was last seen on the evening of March 27 while meeting Spanevelo in the parking lot of a beachside restaurant, Juana’s Pagodas, not far from her home in Navarre, police have said. Investigators later recovered her vehicle with her purse inside and confirmed the couple’s 4-year-old daughter was safe.
Her disappearance prompted missing-person searches by law enforcement and family for nearly a week.
Family photos of Cassie Carli (Courtesy of Carli family)
Investigators later tracked Spanevelo more than four hours and more than 260 miles away in Birmingham, Alabama, where they questioned him and were able to check in on the couple’s daughter, officials said.
Investigators discovered Cassie Carli’s body on April 2 in a shallow grave inside a barn in Alabama’s St. Clair County. An autopsy was conducted on April 4.
More than six months later, St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell told Fox News Digital that Carli had no obvious signs of trauma to her body, and the manner and cause of death were deemed "undetermined."
Investigators arrested Spanevelo, Carli’s ex-boyfriend and father of her child, during an April 2 traffic stop in Lebanon, Tennessee. He was charged with tampering with evidence and giving false information concerning a missing-person investigation.
Flyer seen at a gathering site for volunteers who were searching for Cassie Carli in Navarre, Florida, April 2, 2022. (Fox News Digital/Stephanie Pagones)
As of Monday, he remained behind bars at the Santa Rosa County Jail, records show.
Investigators later described in an affidavit how Spanevelo provided false information to law enforcement "by not disclosing pertinent information about where he stopped along his route of returning home to Panama City Beach with [redacted] later" on the evening when Carli was last seen.
He also initially allegedly failed to tell investigators that he threw an item out of the window of his truck at some point before police caught up to him. While details surrounding the item were redacted in the report, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson previously told reporters that the charges for tampering and destroying evidence were related to the disposal of Carli’s cellphone.
Spanevelo allegedly admitted doing so, telling investigators that "he did not care about [redacted] property, so he chose to just throw it out of the window."
MISSING FLORIDA MOM CASSIE CARLI FOUND DEAD IN ALABAMA
Another person told investigators on March 31 that Spanevelo said he threw the item out because "he had to get rid of it," the affidavit stated.
Fox News Digital previously reported how Carli had considered purchasing a gun and obtaining a concealed carry permit out of concern for her safety; and also that Spanevelo was ordered to pay her $5,920 in overdue child support just days before she vanished.
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Carli had documented her volatile history with Spanevelo in a GoFundMe page that her sister created to help her pay for legal fees during her ongoing custodial dispute over the couple’s young daughter.
And family members previously told Fox News Digital that Cassie had felt "extremely unsafe" around Spanevelo and had warned them to look to him if anything happened to her.
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