Florida police believe man lied about the wherabouts of his missing girlfriend, who was found murdered in what they describe as a "brutal attack" based on evidence found in her home.
Andrew Alan Ridgeway, 46, faces second-degree murder charges and and is accused of lying to investigators about the disappearance of his girlfriend. Police stated that Ridgeway told them that the missing woman Stacy Ann Powell, 48, had travelled to Jamaica. Police said this was not true.
The events unfolded after Powell had not logged into her work computer since Feb. 4. Police in Auburndale initiated a missing persons investigation on Feb. 6. When officers went to her home they encountered a handyman who was repairing cabinets. The man told officers that the residents were not home.
While police were talking to the handyman, Ridgeway called him to ask why the police were there.
"During a phone conversation with the investigating officer, Andrew claimed he was in North Carolina with Stacy's grandmother. He further stated that Stacy had taken an Uber to Orlando International Airport on Feb. 5 and flown to Jamaica to visit her ill father. However, investigators quickly determined that Andrew's statements were false," police stated.
Investigators learned that Powell's father lived in North Carolina, not Jamaica, and that he had also been reaching out to law enforcement because he had not been able to reach his daughter.
Later that day, police executed a search warrant on the residence and "discovered evidence indicating that Stacy had been brutally attacked and murdered."
Ridgeway was arrested in Augusta, Georgia, while driving Stacy's Dodge Ram pickup truck.
