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Registered sex offender's body found in suitcase abandoned at Palm Bay's The Compound [FL]
www.fox35orlando.com ^ | April 03,2026 | Camille Sarabia

Posted on 05/05/2026 1:17:40 PM PDT by Red Badger

Florida man, 19, killed, cut up, abandoned body in suitcase, police say

Lucas Sander Jones, 19, was charged with the murder of a registered sex offender, Colie Lee Daniel. Investigators said evidence and witness statements show Jones cut up Daniel's body and put his body parts in a suitcase. Jones' girlfriend told police he told her not to say anything.

PALM BAY, Fla. - Parts of a registered sex offender's body were found in a suitcase abandoned in an undeveloped area of Palm Bay, known as "The Compound."

Medical examiners identified the body as Colie Lee Daniel, who was reported as a missing person on March 22.

Now, an Indialantic man is behind bars in connection to Daniel's death, which was ruled as a homicide.

What we know: Colie Lee Daniel, 28, was seen arriving at the home of Lucas Sander Jones, 19, in Indialantic on April 20, around 5:32 p.m. He was captured on surveillance video. Daniel lived about one mile away. Daniel is a registered sex offender.

The area known as The Compound in Palm Bay.

Around 9:45 p.m., Daniel’s parents arrived at Jones’ home looking for Daniel.

Jones answered the door but refused to let Daniel’s parents or officers from the Indialantic Police Department inside to check on Daniel.

"No contact was ever made with Daniel that evening," an arrest affidavit said.

Jones’ girlfriend later arrived and was told "just to go in and not say anything," the affidavit said.

At around 2:29 a.m., March 21, the girlfriend’s car was seen traveling, which detectives later learned Jones left in the middle of the night to drop an evidence bag with unknown contents on the train tracks. The girlfriend was left in the home asleep.

Jones doesn’t have his own vehicle, the affidavit said.

Read: A timeline of Colie Lee Daniel's murder

When officers conducted a welfare check on Daniel on March 21, there was no sign of him, the affidavit said. Jones was visibly disheveled with red on his arms and chest, puffiness under his eyes and visible bruising to his shoulder and neck.

Shortly after police spoke with Jones, he was seen loading up his girlfriend’s car with two Rubbermaid storage totes and at least one black suitcase.

The car was seen traveling two and from The Compound twice, the affidavit said.

Read: Human remains found in 2 suitcases left at Palm Bay's The Compound, police say

The area known as The Compound in Palm Bay.

Teen arrested: Charged with abuse of a dead human body Jones was arrested on March 28 after investigators found an Amazon package in the suitcase addressed to Jones. Authorities were originally alerted to the suitcase after it was reported that vultures were circling the area.

Red droplets and splatter, consistent with human blood, were seen in the hallway and living room of Jones’ home, an arrest affidavit said.

Jones was charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence, abuse of a dead body, transport of a human body in an unauthorized container and murder – dangerous depraved without premeditation.

Jones' girlfriend tells investigators her side On March 20, Jones’ girlfriend told investigators after speaking with Jones on the phone, she "sensed something was wrong," and left to go to his house. He asked her to bring cleaning supplies, the affidavit said.

Inside the home, black spray paint was on the walls and blood was on the floor, the girlfriend described to police.

The area known as The Compound in Palm Bay.

Jones reportedly told her, "I killed somebody and cut him up," before placing him in two suitcases and two Rubbermaid totes, the girlfriend told police. The girlfriend told investigators Jones said he killed Daniel with a baseball bat and cut up his body with a cleaver, saw and knife.

When they traveled to The Compound, Jones – who had Daniel's phone, told his girlfriend to turn off the location.

Days later, Jones reportedly told his girlfriend he killed Daniel because Daniel was a sex offender. She didn’t know how Jones met Daniel, but knew that Jones printed a list of sex offenders.

A week after the murder, the girlfriend said Jones coached her and told her what to tell law enforcement.

Manner of death: Homicide

On March 31, a medical examiner identified Daniel as the body in the suitcase. The manner of death was determined to be a homicide and the cause of death is undetermined due to the unknown location of his entire body.

He had an unspecified amount of multiple blunt force injuries to his head and extremities before death, the detective said.

The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the 18th Judicial Court in Brevard County.


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Local News; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: florida

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1 posted on 05/05/2026 1:17:40 PM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Tijeras_Slim

CARRION LUGGAGE PING!..................


2 posted on 05/05/2026 1:18:10 PM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Red Badger
I think we should all try to empathize and see this from his side.

If he is in a liberal area, he could hopefully be let free and never see a prison sentence.

It happens a lot, so the incentive is to commit your crimes where the DAs are super friendly.

3 posted on 05/05/2026 1:22:50 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: Red Badger

Makes me think of rear window.


4 posted on 05/05/2026 1:24:05 PM PDT by Migraine
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To: ConservativeMind

Brevard County. He’s gonna fry.............


5 posted on 05/05/2026 1:24:14 PM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: ConservativeMind

My mother-in-law used to live about a mile from where the body was found..............


6 posted on 05/05/2026 1:26:45 PM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Red Badger

Three types of homicide: Felonious, Justifiable, and Praiseworthy.

I know this one’s technically Felonious, but ...


7 posted on 05/05/2026 1:29:02 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: Red Badger

Too late for 8 Heads In A Duffle Bag.


8 posted on 05/05/2026 1:29:48 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: Red Badger

“Jones cut up Daniel’s body and put his body parts in a suitcase.”

Is that a carry on, for the overhead compartment?

These things should happen more often.


9 posted on 05/05/2026 1:31:45 PM PDT by Macoozie (Roll MAGA, roll!)
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To: Red Badger

Swalwell?


10 posted on 05/05/2026 1:33:46 PM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: Red Badger

Investigators will try to examine Jones brief past (he’s only 19) as to why he wanted to kill a sex offender. That is not to see his actions may be legally or morally excusable (? for the “right” motive??? from something that happened to him in the past) but his past might well explain his motive.


11 posted on 05/05/2026 1:33:49 PM PDT by Wuli (ui)
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To: ConservativeMind

No. Liberals are all sex offenders themselves. They would be tough on a vigilante who targeted pervs.


12 posted on 05/05/2026 1:46:19 PM PDT by Seruzawa ("The political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence." -Marx the Smarter (Groucho.))
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To: Red Badger

Not guilty


13 posted on 05/05/2026 1:47:16 PM PDT by Craftmore
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To: Red Badger

“Jones was charged with... transport of a human body in an unauthorized container”


This charge is bogus.
It was TWO unauthorized containers.


14 posted on 05/05/2026 1:48:45 PM PDT by miniTAX
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To: Migraine

“Makes me think of rear window.”

...great movie! Raymond Burr close up when he sees he’s been caught.


15 posted on 05/05/2026 1:55:09 PM PDT by albie
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To: Red Badger

Means, motive and opportunity.


16 posted on 05/05/2026 1:55:13 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (If it ain't fun, you ain't doin' it right.)
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To: Red Badger

I think that there’s a “...and now, the rest of the story “ coming.


17 posted on 05/05/2026 2:01:53 PM PDT by READINABLUESTATE (‘Never trust a man whose uncle was eaten by cannibals’)
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To: Red Badger

I’m conflicted.


18 posted on 05/05/2026 2:02:40 PM PDT by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: Red Badger

Sounds like the dead guy was qualified to serve in Congress when he reached 25.


19 posted on 05/05/2026 2:06:00 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: Macoozie

In Louisiana, we just feed em to the gators. “No evidence was found....”


20 posted on 05/05/2026 2:09:36 PM PDT by clee1 (We use 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 2 to pull a trigger. I'm lazy and don't wish to smile.)
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