Found Deceased FL - Nancy Howery, 44, found burned and dismembered by boyfriend Daniel Stearns, 32 - 3/14/23

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Florida man shot girlfriend, burned corpse and scattered remains through 2,700-acre 'Compound,' cops allege

Daniel Stearns, of Palm Bay, Florida, is accused of killing girlfriend Nancy Howery, burning her remains and scattering them across a 2,700-acre site.

www.foxnews.com

A Florida man is accused of gunning down his girlfriend after an argument and leaving her to die in the woods – only to return days later, burn her corpse and scatter her remains around a massive undeveloped property in Palm Bay.

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office said investigators directly observed the suspect, Daniel Stearns, 32, attempting to bury some of the remains.

Nancy Howery, 44, had been reported missing from Indian Harbour Beach by her ex-husband and two children on Feb. 18, according to authorities. She had failed to pick up the kids from school three days earlier.

 

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Authorities believe the burned body belongs to Howery, who was last seen by her friend on February 15, said Indian Harbour Beach Police Chief David Butler.

Stearns was charged with second-degree murder along with tampering with evidence and mutilation of a dead body.

He is currently being held on no bond at Brevard County Jail.

Howery’s case was handled as a missing person investigation at first, however, officers weren’t able to reach her through her cell phone or find her through her phone’s location.

A call came in on February 18 to report a suspicious vehicle that was abandoned.

Howery’s 2014 Honda Odyssey was discovered, but officers weren’t able to find the woman, even with bloodhounds at the scene.
Stearns had been in a relationship with Howery and was quickly named as a suspect early in the case, said Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

Chilling act uncovered as cops 'catch murderer with dismembered woman's remains'

AN ALLEGED murderer was caught red-handed as he attempted to bury the charred and dismembered remains of a mother-of-two. Cops say 32-year-old Daniel Stearns is behind the murder of Nancy Howery, 4…

www.the-sun.com

 

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Howery's friends are mourning her death and trying to come to grips with their loss. Ana Hensiek is one of those friends. She said she spoke with Howery every day and the last time she communicated with her was on Valentine's Day, when she said she had a date.

Howery has other friends who are scattered all over the country now, but they always make it a point to stay in touch with each other. Since Howery's death, her friends started a public Facebook group to memorialize her life and see if any other women come forward who knew or dated the suspect in the past.

The murdered mother of two was always there for others, her friends said. "She transmitted wonderful, good energy," exclaimed Yascara Tom, another friend of Howery’s. "She was a wonderful person."

Over the years, Palm Bay city leaders have expressed concerns that The Compound has become a hub for crime. They are now looking for new solutions.

"There’s no way we can police the current developed city of Palm Bay and the undeveloped area of the compound at the same time," said Palm Bay Councilman Kenny Johnson. "It’s a large task, so that’s why we’re looking to see what we can do."

One solution Johnson has is bringing in developers to buy parts of the land with the end goal to crack down on crime coming out of the compound so more lives aren’t lost.

"That’s all we want. We want justice for Nancy," Hensiek concluded.

Friends of murdered Florida woman call for answers: 'We want justice'

Support is growing for new safety measures in an area of Palm Bay, Florida known as “The Compound," where a woman was recently found murdered.

www.fox35orlando.com