Photo: Winter Springs Police Department
Shakeira Rucker, the Florida mother who disappeared over a week ago, was found dead over the weekend in a storage unit registered to her estranged husband, according to NBC News.
On Saturday, November 18, Orange County deputies responded to a Self Storage located at 2400 Wiggins Rd. in Apopka and found Rucker's body inside a unit, the sheriff's office revealed in an update on the case. Sheriff John Mina said during a news conference they got reports of "a smell emanating from one of the units" after authorities finished searching for the mother of four near Bob White Airfield in Mount Dora.
Mina claims Rucker was killed inside the storage unit, and her body had gunshot wounds. A full autopsy is underway.
Cory Hill, 51, was declared a person of interest in Rucker's disappearance prior to the gruesome discovery. He's currently jailed in Orange County on several attempted murder charges in a separate shooting case. When detectives tried interviewing him about his missing wife, he refused to speak, according to officials.
“He is the suspect. We are not looking for anyone else. He will be charged with the murder eventually in this case," Mina announced. "He is under a no-bond status and I say that because we have plenty of time to continue collecting evidence to build up our case to charge Cory Hill with Shakeira’s murder."
Rucker was last seen leaving her Winter Springs home on the evening of Saturday, November 11. Her family believed she left with the 51-year-old, and surveillance video obtained by authorities shows her with Hill at a restaurant before her death.
Hill was arrested in Mount Dora after he reportedly shot at his former girlfriend and her family on November 12. He's previously been convicted of murdering an 18-year-old in December 1992.
A huge crowd of people flocked to a vigil held Sunday (November 19) in remembrance of Rucker, and her family members were touched by the support.
"Everyone is angry, but we must stay strong for the sake of my sister," Clarence Thornton, Shakeira's brother, told FOX 35. "She’s up there looking at us. We got to stay strong for her kids."
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