Man arrested on battery charge after wife found dead in Broward canal: cops
A Coral Springs man is behind bars on a domestic violence charge after his wife was found dead — floating in a canal outside their home, police say.
Jeffrey Ernest Evans, 43, is facing a domestic violence charge after officers responded Tuesday to 9901 NW 15th Court in Coral Springs. Evans, police say, called 911 shortly before 9 p.m. and told the operator that his wife, Jessica Lloyd, was experiencing a “mental break.” Investigators found Lloyd in a canal unresponsive — and she was declared dead at Broward Health Coral Springs.
However, another caller reported hearing a woman screaming, “My husband is trying to kill me,” according to investigators. Evans addressed the witness’ account in an interview with police, court records show.
Worked at Davie Fire Department
Evans — who worked as a Davie Fire Rescue firefighter until Feb. 28 — told police that he and Lloyd had been arguing for days about possible infidelity, according to a report filed in Broward Circuit Court on Wednesday. The night of the 911 calls, Lloyd attempted to look through Evans’ laptop to uncover evidence of cheating.
That, court records indicate, led to the pair wrestling over the device inside their home.
Their fight escalated, with Lloyd leaving the house, according to Evans’ statement. Once outside, Lloyd screamed, “Help! He’s going to kill me!”
Evans told police that he restrained his wife and tried to take her back inside the house. He said Lloyd then broke free and ran off. He contended he didn’t chase her.
Other incidents
Evans is no stranger to domestic violence accusations, court records reveal. In 2020, Evans was arrested on a domestic violence charge, but prosecutors did not proceed with the case.
According to that police report, a woman burst out of Evans’ home, yelling for help as Evans chased her. The woman told officers that Evans had punched her in the face and spat on her, the report says. She had a bruise on her lower lip and identified herself as Evans’ live-in girlfriend. Her name was redacted in court records.
The woman was not his deceased wife. Prosecutors said the case was declined because the victim waived prosecution and submitted an affidavit that read Evans did not punch or hit her.
With no independent witnesses, prosecutors also said their reasoning stemmed from “no reasonable likelihood of conviction based on evidence presented...”
In 2018, Evans’ ex-wife sought a domestic violence restraining order. In a petition, she said Evans had broken into her house on several occasions and threatened her in front of their two children while a no-contact order was in place due to their divorce proceedings.
Once, Evans grabbed her phone so she couldn’t call 911, according to the document. The ex-wife also alleged that Evans had pulled guns on her and choked her several times. “He is currently under a non-contact order and continues to harass and threaten me daily,” the ex-wife said in the petition. “I have called the police on multiple occasions. They said nothing can be done without a restraining order.”
Evans posted bail of $1,000 and was released from the North Broward Bureau on Friday. He is required to wear a GPS monitoring device, court records show.
Detectives are investigating Lloyd’s death. Anyone with information should contact Det. Jessica Girard at JGirard@coralsprings.gov.
This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 12:48 PM.
