Brooksville, FL: Investigators discovered one body in the woods and another hanging from a tree after a murder plan collapsed at a Florida residence. According to a news release from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the dead included one victim and one suspected killer.
Investigators found the tragic finds around 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, at a residence in Spring Hill, roughly 50 miles north of Tampa.
A family member of William Scott Trudell called 911 to report that he may have been killed by an acquaintance, triggering a welfare check at his residence.
“Deputies then searched the surrounding area where they located Trudell’s body lying on the ground in a nearby wooded lot,” the sheriff’s office said. “Deputies located drag marks from the side garage door of the residence to where Trudell’s body was located.”
Dakota Lee Croft was also discovered dead, “hanging from a tree” in the backyard, according to officials. An investigation indicated that Croft and Dustin McMillan, 33, “devised a plan to attack Trudell” at the property, according to officials. The two males were “upset with Trudell for being a ‘cop caller’ and disrespecting women in the home,” according to authorities.
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“When Trudell entered the garage, they ambushed and killed him. A family member entered the garage a short time later and discovered Trudell’s body on the floor. “That family member immediately left the residence,” the sheriff’s office stated.
The two suspects then moved Trudell’s body to a forested area and started cleaning the garage to erase evidence, according to officials. According to police, Croft hanged himself after the clean-up was complete. McMillan was detained at the home and charged with first-degree murder and evidence tampering, according to officials. He is being held without a bond.