Manatee county investigators confirmed to ABC Action News Wednesday that two separate murder cases they're looking into are connected.
Karl Tuxford, 38, and Jordan Finlon, 23, were both found Tuesday. Investigators told ABC Action News it wasn't long before they found a link between the two.
"I'm totally shocked. It's a wonderful family," said neighbor Jana Scott.
When ABC Action News spoke with Scott Wednesday, she was still trying to wrap her head around the death of her long-time neighbor and good friend, Karl Tuxford.
"He's a fine, upstanding young man. Anybody you'd want to be your friend or related to you or anything," Scott told ABC Action News.
Tuxford was found shot to death near the intersection of 8th Street East and 12th Avenue in Bradenton Tuesday afternoon.
Hours later, the body of 23-year-old Jordan Finlon was discovered dumped on the side of a road near Palmetto. After finding out the pair knew each other, investigators now believe there's a link in the murders.
"We'll be diving into both their histories. Who they were hanging around with, what they've been doing," said Dave Bristow spokesman for the Manatee County sheriff's office.
Investigators aren't releasing the cause of Finlon's death just yet. They believe it could be a very important clue in the case. However, they're giving ABC Action News clues into the victims' backgrounds. Tuxford has a history with the law, including a past charge for possession of stolen property. Finlon, we're told, has a history with drugs.
"We've been told that she did use drugs. Obviously, that's one thing that we're looking at as far as possible motivation here," Bristow told ABC Action News.
ABC Action News spoke with relatives of Tuxford Wednesday, shortly before they headed to speak with Manatee County investigators. They said he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now both detectives, along with family and friends, will simply try to piece together exactly what happened.
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