ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Police say they have charged a man with murder after they found the body of a 29-year-old woman stuffed inside of a storage tote in a building behind a home on Monday afternoon.
St. Pete police released more information on the case on Tuesday morning. Watch press conference below:
Police initially reported the case as a possible kidnapping in the 500 block of 16th Avenue South in St. Pete.
According to police, people who live in the neighborhood came to the police department on Monday to report that a man showed them what looked like a body in a storage tote in a building behind his residence.
St. Pete Police took Angelo Dante Beckford, 40, into custody when he ran from officers near his home.
Angelo Dante Beckford
SWAT responded, concerned there was a woman in the house, who needed their help. When they found the body of a woman, authorities said, they backed off and requested a search warrant. It is unclear how long the body of the woman had been on the property.
“The tips from the community really are what have brought this case to us," Yolanda Fernandez with the Public Information Office of the St. Petersburg Police Department said.
Initially, Beckford was only being charged with possession of cocaine. Overnight police charged him with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, and a parole violation. Beckford was released from prison earlier this month.
According to St. Petersburg PD, Beckford told them he was living at his mother's home who passed away recently. Fernandez confirms the body they found Monday was not Beckford's mother.
Homicide detectives have identified the woman as Cheyenne Snyder, 29, a mother of two boys who has lived in Florida for the last 9 years. Beckford confessed to murdering Snyder. Police believe Beckford only knew Snyder for about a week and they both struggle with drug addiction.
