Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said Sunday that Carly’s body was found Saturday night in a shallow grave. The sheriff did not say where the body was found, but named the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. Clair and the Springville Police Department as research assistants. He said the body was identified by a tattoo and said the autopsy would be done Monday in Huntsville. The county sheriff of St. Clair Billy Murray said his office assisted in the investigation but declined to say where Carli’s body was found. He referred questions to Santa Rosa Sheriff’s officials and the Alabama Law Enforcement Service. Johnson said investigators received information about the possible location of Carly’s body and carried out a search warrant at the unknown location. The property is linked, the sheriff said, to Carli’s ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo, who has been living and working in the Birmingham area for the past few months. In particular, Spanevelo is believed to have worked as a subcontractor for an audiovisual media company in the Springville area. Spanevelo has not been charged with Carli’s death, but is accused of falsifying evidence, providing false information about missing persons and destroying evidence. The charge for counterfeiting, Johnson said, concerns Carly’s cell phone. “She picked up her phone and actually got rid of it,” the Florida sheriff said. The phone was recovered, he said, but declined to give further details. Spanevelo was taken into custody Saturday in Tennessee. Remains there awaiting release. The sheriff said he expects more charges against Spanevelos. Johnson said Spanevelo was not cooperating in the investigation and said only one word – “lawyer”. “He did it like a sack of dirt,” said the sheriff. “He never worked with us,” Johnson said. “Think about it. She is the mother of your baby and she is missing and you are not going to work with the authorities. This is somewhat indicative.” Carli disappeared on March 27 after meeting Spanevelo in a restaurant parking lot in Navarre, Florida to hand over their daughter, Saylor, for a visit. Carly had not seen or heard from since. On Monday, March 28, Carli’s father reported her disappearance to the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s office. The next day, her vehicle was found in the parking lot behind Juana’s Pagodas restaurant where the couple had met to exchange children. “What we found inside this car was Cassie’s wallet,” the sheriff said. “As you know, most women do not leave their bag behind when they go somewhere. That fact must be taken into account. “ On Wednesday, three detectives from Santa Rosa County traveled to Birmingham for an interview with Spanevelo. “They made contact with (him) and also with Sailor, his daughter,” Johnson said. “They called child services in Alabama who checked the girl and that was it.” It was not immediately clear where Saylor was on Sunday – there were conflicting statements as to whether she was in child custody or returning with her family – but she was not injured. Investigators initially returned to Florida without arresting Spanavelo, Johnson said Thursday. Alabama court records show that an arrest warrant for Spanevelos was issued in March after he failed to appear in court in St. Clair County with an speeding ticket. He got this ticket on December 15, 2021, when he was stopped for driving at 97 mph in a 70 mph area. The sheriff said the entire Major Crime Unit of the department – which consists of 10 detectives – is working around the clock on the case. The FBI was also involved. Johnson said he met with Carly’s family Sunday morning to inform them of her death. He said he went “as you would expect”. “They are crumpled,” he said. “It closes them a little because they know where she is now, but she is still their daughter, their sister. That’s awful. “ The sheriff said harsh words about Spanevelos. “I think he will either spend the rest of his life in prison or take the needle,” Johnson said. “I hope the needle.” Anyone with information on the case is kindly requested to call 911 or the Santa Rosa County Crime Stoppers at 850-437-STOP.
