A Florida man has been accused of dumping his mother's body into a river with chains and cinder blocks, and then reporting her missing to police. Local authorities announced the arrest of Joshua Cullen, 47, on Wednesday after an investigation led them to his mother's bound body in the Peace River.
Missing Person Report
Deputies went to a North Fort Myers home to fill out a missing person's report from Cullen on May 25, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. Cullen had allegedly said that his mother either suffered from a stroke, was hospitalized, or left with a wealthy man. He claimed he had not seen her since March, according to authorities. Investigators later learned that Cullen had been accessing his mother's financial accounts and purchasing an RV.
Discovery of Remains
During their search for Cullen's mother, investigators learned that the nearby Charlotte County Sheriff's Office had found human remains by the Peace River on March 29. "A group of boaters saw something large submerged in the water," Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said. "We responded and located a woman wrapped in carpet, bound tightly and weighed down by cinder blocks and chains." The remains were identified as belonging to Cullen's mother.
"We believe the woman died inside the home, and Cullen continued living alongside her deceased body," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. "This sorry excuse for a man left this woman exposed, discarded, and alone while he selfishly carried on with his life."
Evidence and Charges
Investigators used license plate reader technology to link Cullen to the river where his mother's body was dumped. His vehicle was seen traveling toward Hunters Creek on March 28 with a wheelbarrow attached to the roof, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said. That wheelbarrow was found near where the body was recovered. As of Wednesday, Cullen was charged with neglect of an elderly person and abuse of a dead human body. Police said the investigation remains active and authorities will later determine whether additional charges should be brought.
Vivien Perez, identified as Cullen's ex-wife, said she was "heartbroken" over the woman's death. "She definitely did not deserve anything like that," she told Gulf Coast News.
