He reported a dead body in the woods. Now he’s charged with her murder, Florida cops say
A Florida man who reported a crime has now become accused of it, according to the Orlando Police Department.
The agency announced in a Tuesday tweet that James Gafford, 55, was arrested June 10 in the death of a woman found in a wooded area off the busy John Young Parkway intersection on April 21.
Gafford, who is a registered sexual predator, faces first-degree murder charges in the death of Kaitlyn Emery, 29.
Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Division’s Violent Crimes Section made the arrest. Authorities say Gafford reported finding Emery’s body in thick brush.
But detectives learned that Gafford and the victim knew each other, having met two days before the finding at a bus stop. The suspect killed her near the stop in a wooded area, according to OPD spokesperson Autumn Jones. It’s unclear how the woman was killed.
“This is a disturbed individual [who] committed a horrible, horrible act here,” Lt. Frank Chisari said in a press conference, according to Click Orlando. “He had a relationship with her at some point and he killed her though the course of this relationship.”
Gafford, who according to Orange County court documents is a “transient,” is behind bars at the Orange County Jail on no bond.
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 2:06 PM.
