Cassie Carli update: Body found in search for mom who went missing after going to pick up daughter – as ex is arrested
The body of a woman who vanished after she went to pick up her daughter from her ex has been found in a shallow grave, police have announced.
The remains of Cassie Carli, 37, were found Saturday night in a barn in St Clair County, Alabama, almost a week after she vanished from Navarre, Florida.
"It’s not the ending that we wanted, obviously, but we’re hoping to provide a little closure to the family," Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said in a
The discovery came the same day that police revealed Carli's ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo had been arrested by Highway Patrol in Lebanon, Tennessee.
It is unclear where exactly Carli's body was discovered, but police said the property is linked to Spanevelo, who has been living and working in the Birmingham area in recent months.
It is currently believed that Spanevelo was working as a subcontractor with an audiovisual company in the Springville area.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff said the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office and the Springville Police Department assisted in the search.
Police said at a press conference Sunday that Carli's body was identified by a tattoo.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
So far, Spanevelo has not been charged for Cassie's death.
It is not currently known if he will face further charges.
Spanevelo was arrested on Saturday in Lebanon, Tennessee, on charges of tampering with evidence, giving false information concerning a missing persons investigation, and destruction of evidence.
"He took her phone and basically got rid of it," said Johnson.
Cassie was last seen in the parking lot in Navarre, Florida, where she was supposed to pick up her daughter Saylor from her ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo during a custody exchange.
A message was sent from Cassie's phone to her father saying that she was having car trouble.
But when she did not return home last Sunday, panicked loved ones raised the alarm and police launched an urgent hunt on Monday.
The local sheriff’s office said they had located Saylor and that she was safe.
Cops say Cassie had been due to meet her ex at Navarre Beach on Sunday. Her car was found close by on Tuesday morning.
Cassie's family told WFLA that she was concerned about Spanevelo as they were working through custody problems.
"Cassie's been telling me for the last two years that (Marcus) has been threatening her," Cassie's brother Anthony Carli told WFLA.
Most read in The Sun
"She's always said, if anything happens to me, it's him."
When asked if Spanevelo has been cooperative throughout the investigation, Johnson answered "absolutely not" at the press conference.
“I can’t speak for his thought process,” said Johnson. “I can tell you this, he was totally uncooperative. He never cooperated at all with us and that goes a long way.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“Think about it. It’s your baby’s mother and she’s missing and you’re not gonna cooperate with authorities - that’s kina tell-tale.”
An autopsy is scheduled to take place Monday in Alabama where Cassie's cause of death is expected to be determined.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at [email protected] or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at