According to reports, a 55-year-old Florida man named James Gafford previously reported discovering a woman he found dead in the woods close to an Orlando intersection in April 2021. Now, Gafford has been arrested and charged with the murder of the woman.
According to the Orlando Police Department, Gafford, reportedly a registered sex offender, was hit with a first-degree murder charge. The police noted that Gafford called the cops on April 21 to report finding the woman was identified as 29-year-old Kaitlyn Emery, and Gafford claimed to have found Emery in a ditch. However, investigators from the Violent Crimes Section of the Orlando PD said Gafford met the woman at a bus stop two days before reporting her dead. As of now, the cause of death hasn’t been revealed to the public.
Lt. Frank Chisari spoke on the matter, saying, “This is a disturbed individual [who] committed a horrible, horrible act here. He had a relationship with her at some point, and he killed her through the course of this relationship.” He continued by saying, “The timeline just kind of matched up with our investigation, as far as when he would have been around and when he would have had the opportunity to commit the homicide.” Gafford is currently being held in the Orange County jail without bail.
source: NY Daily News
