Grady Judd: Car wanted in connection to missing Polk County man turns up at sheriff’s district station
LAKELAND, Fla. - A vehicle deputies say is connected to the disappearance of Ethan Fussell has been located, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
On Wednesday, Judd held a press conference announcing the arrests of the girlfriends of two men charged with Fussell’s murder. During that press conference, he added that deputies were looking for a silver Lexus owned by Talon Page, one of the men charged with first-degree murder.
Judd said the car was last seen on May 13 going eastbound on I-4 in the Lakeland area.
Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office
On Thursday, Judd announced that someone drove the vehicle to one of PCSO’s substations.
"A guy drove it up to one of our district stations and said, ‘Hey, I understand you’re looking for this car.’ So, now we have it, but what we really need is Ethan Fussell. We need for him to be returned to his family. Yes, we have every reason to believe he is deceased. Please, don’t drive him to the district station. We’ll come get him or, if you drive him to the district station, we’ll meet him there."
Pictured: Ethan Fussell. Image is courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Ethan Fussell, 21, went missing on May 7 after his girlfriend dropped him off at a North Lakeland home on Driggers Road.
According to Judd, Fussell was staying at 1116 Driggers Road with Talon Page. Judd said they were such close friends that they referred to each other as brothers.
"We have every reason to believe that Ethan is deceased," Judd stated "That he was murdered. He was murdered by who he thought was his best friend."
Last Friday afternoon, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office got evidence back from the lab that confirmed that the blood that was seized from the house at 1116 Driggers Road was Ethan Fussell’s blood.
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His body has not been found.
Deputies say there was a lot of blood found inside the home where Fussell was last seen.
"We have found video evidence of them beating Ethan," Judd explained. "We found video evidence that Ethan was beaten severely."
Judd said investigators found evidence at the home on Driggers Road that suggested people tried to clean up the crime scene.
"We know that there was an argument, according to witnesses, between Talon and Ethan, and we believe it was over either money or drugs," Judd explained.
According to the arrest affidavit, a search warrant was executed on the home where Fussell's blood was found in the living room, including on a couch, loveseat, and portions of the carpet. There was one section of the carpet that had been cut and removed and wasn't located.
Pictured: Talon Page and Adonai Moran-Rivera. Images are courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Talon Page and Adonai Moran-Rivera are facing numerous charges in Fussell's disappearance, including first-degree murder. Their girlfriends, Crystal Droweingo, 24, and Autumn Lee Thomas, 25, have also been charged in connection to the case.
Heartland Crimestoppers is also offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the whereabouts of Fussell's body and other arrests related to his murder.
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