PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said a grand jury has indicted a man sheriff's detectives believe killed a 16-year-old girl and later dumped her body.
Detectives said the case started on November 19, 2021, in the grassy area of the Duke Energy easement behind the Countryside Recreation Center on the 2600 block of Sabal Spings Drive in Clearwater. That's where construction workers found the body of Meaghan Cooper, 16.
According to the sheriff's office, detectives found out Robert Gullo, 25, had made arrangements with Cooper via text messages to take drugs and have sex. Detectives believe Gullo picked up Cooper at her home around 9:20 p.m. on November 18, 2021.
The sheriff's office said Gullo drove the teen to his Clearwater home. Gullo's ankle monitor registered him leaving his residence at 6 a.m. and driving to the location where Cooper's body was found. Gullo then returned to his home.
Detectives said Cooper had four times the lethal amount of Fentanyl in her system, but no cocaine was found.
"Addiction is a terrible problem that people have. So - it's against this backdrop, especially to the young people who are easily preyed on by older people, don't take drugs from someone like this. You have no idea what's in it and - in the case of Meaghan Cooper - it will literally kill you."
Watch the full press conference below
