Suspects in Ethan Fussell's disappearance charged with murder. Girlfriends arrested

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Wednesday that two more people have been arrested in the disappearance of Ethan Fussell, who was last seen the night of May 7 near Tom Costine and Driggers roads in rural North Lakeland. The two men previously arrested are now charged with first-degree murder.

During a Wednesday afternoon news conference at the Sheriff's Operations Center in Winter Haven, the sheriff also said his agency needs the public’s help in finding a 2000 Lexus 400 that investigators suspect was used to dispose of Fussell's body.

Judd said the silver, four-door Lexus has dark-tinted windows and a sunroof. The sedan has a Florida tag of CC02IL. It was last seen May 13 on Interstate 4 traveling east near Lakeland.

Judd also gave further details into the murder investigation and announced first-degree murder charges have been filed against Talon Isaac Page, 25, and Adoni Moran-Rivera, 21, both of Lakeland.

Page and Moran-Rivera were charged following their arrests in Mulberry on Sunday with accessory to capital murder after the fact and one count of destroying or tampering with evidence. Each man was also charged with a second count of tampering with evidence as of Tuesday night after detectives found more evidence to connect them to the suspected killing of Fussell.

“So the charges continue to stack up,” Judd said.

Girlfriends are now charged in the case

The car was not the only new photo related to the case that Judd displayed on Wednesday. The men’s girlfriends also have been arrested and face three felony charges each.

Moran-Rivera's girlfriend, Crystal Droweingo, 24, and Page’s girlfriend, Autumn Lee Thomas, 24, have been charged with giving false info to law enforcement (a third-degree felony), tampering with evidence (a third-degree felony) and accessory after the fact to a capital murder (a first-degree felony).

Based on the charges against their boyfriends, Judd said, “You’ll never be together again.”

Judd said the women could have been witnesses and cooperated in the case but chose to protect their boyfriends by providing false leads to investigators. Now they face up to 40 years in state prison for their roles if convicted.

“This investigation is not over," Judd said. "We’re going to arrest more people, for hiding evidence, tampering, accessory after the fact, if they don’t cooperate and help us out."

In a release issued after the news conference, the Sheriff’s Office said detectives had confirmed Droweingo and Thomas were at Page’s mobile home the night Fussell disappeared. Thomas denied being there, , the release said, but detectives were able to confirm she was also there.

According to the release, Thomas lied to detectives about her whereabouts around the time Fussell disappeared, contacted other people to tell them to lie to detectives and then helped Page evade law enforcement, knowing they were looking for him.

Droweingo also lied to detectives, the Sheriff's Office said, saying she was asleep when Fussell was killed by the men and then aiding in the cover-up of his death by continually lying to detectives.

Video shows Fussell being beaten in the home

Judd disclosed Wednesday that Fussell was severely beaten inside the mobile home at 1116 Driggers Road where Page and Moran-Rivera stayed and a location well-known by the Sheriff’s Office for people coming and going for drug sales.

The attack on Fussell was recorded on video obtained by the Sheriff’s Office through a search warrant. The video led to the murder charges and the additional charge against the girlfriends.

Judd also said investigators think a large swath of carpet cut out of the mobile home was used to carry Fussell to the Lexus, which might still contain his remains.

He also said, despite the missing carpet, investigators were able to remove the floor below it and it contained a significant amount of blood. The video showed a large volume of blood on the carpet where he had been beaten.

During a news conference earlier this week, Judd said a blood sample from the mobile home belonged to Fussell.

Judd said Page and Fussell, who called one another brothers, had likely argued over drugs or money before he went missing.

The sheriff said until his recent poor decision to live with Page, Fussell had zero arrests nor any criminal record and comes from a good family.

So far none of the suspects in the case have cooperated with the investigation and helped find Fussell. They are all being held without bond at the Polk County Jail.

Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Ethan Fussell's body, and any other arrests related to his murder.

Contact Crime Stoppers at 888-400-TIPS (888-400-8477), dial **TIPS from a cell phone or click submit at tip at www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Blood, video lead to murder charges, new arrests in Ethan Fussell case