POLK COUNTY, Fla — The Polk County Sheriff's Office has arrested two people involved in a missing persons case that turned into a homicide investigation.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Ethan Fussell, 21, was reported missing on May 7. He was last seen on Driggers Road in Lakeland.
Fussell was allegedly very close with Talon Page. Sheriff Judd said the two were best friends and referred to each other as brothers.
Authorities said Fussell was staying with Page at the time of his disappearance.
“Last Friday afternoon, we got evidence back from the lab that confirmed that the blood that we seized from the house on 1116 Driggers Road, where Talon lived, was, in fact, Ethan's blood," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Deputies also found a significant amount of blood at Driggers Road, where Fussell went missing.
Witnesses said they saw Page and Fussell involved in an argument, and officials believe the argument was about either drugs or money.
On June 2, deputies received a tip that Page and his friend, Adonai Moran-Rivera, were seen at a house in Mulberry. The two were arrested, but neither have talked to investigators
Page and Moran-Rivera have both been charged with tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact.
Ethan Fussell's body still has not been found. The group called We Are the Essentials has conducted numerous searches.
“The residence of Talon Page, that’s where we started and spanned out. Looking in wooded areas and places, people would dispose of a body," said Shelley Croft.
Neither suspect has been charged with Fussell's murder, but Sheriff Judd said the investigation is ongoing.
“We have reason to believe that Adonai took part in the murder, but Talon Page was the primary source to murder his best friend,” said Judd.
Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Fussell's body. His family is also offering a $10,000 reward.
“You threw my son under the bus. You didn't take care of him.”
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