A mother of four who had been reported missing on November 11 was found dead in a storage unit that belonged to her ex-husband.who is the main suspect in his murder, authorities reported on Sunday.
The family of Shakeira Yvonne Rucker, 37, had alerted the Winter Springs Police Department that the last time they saw her was when she left her home with her ex-husband, identified as Cory Hill, 51, whom She was separated, with an unknown destination.
Winter Springs Police Chief Matthew Tracht said at a news conference Sunday that investigators worked 16 to 18 hours a day to solve the case. The search for Rucker ended on Saturday, when authorities informed his family of the discovery of his body.
Police launched a search that spanned four counties and was assisted by several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Sunday that deputies responded to a storage unit facility in Apopka, about 20 miles northwest of Orlando, around 5 p.m. Saturday. after receiving a 911 call about an odor coming from one of the units.
When officers opened the unit, they found a woman later identified as Rucker dead from apparent gunshot wounds, Mina said. The official cause of death is still pending as investigators await the results of the autopsy, Mina added.
Authorities named Hill as the main suspect after investigators learned that the unit Rucker was in was registered in his name, Mina said.
Hill was booked into the Orange County Jail on Nov. 13 for an unrelated shooting, Orange County Jail records show, and was formally charged with four counts of attempted murder after allegedly shooting an ex-girlfriend and her family on November 12, Mina said at the press conference.
According to local media, Hill has a criminal record for an attempted murder in 1993, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, something Rucker’s family said they were unaware of.
Rucker’s case has shocked the Winter Springs community, where she was known for her work as a nurse and her dedication to her children. Police have expressed their condolences to the family and thanked all agencies involved in the investigation for their collaboration.
With information from CNN
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