A Florida man was arrested Friday afternoon in Charlotte County after being found in a home with a decomposing body, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said.
Justin D. Carver, 36, faces charges of failing to report a death to a medical examiner and resisting an officer without violence after deputies went to a home in the 29000 block of Turbak Drive near Highway 17 in a neighborhood north of Punta Gorda, about 100 miles south of Tampa around 5 p.m.
Deputies were originally called to the home for a wellness check. They found his mother, 55-year-old Layni Carver dead inside. Her cause of death is yet to be determined, pending the availability of toxicology results which are expected in the coming weeks, according to local CBS station WINK.
Police said Carver “exited the residence, and immediately closed the door behind him” after deputies knocked on a window. When they told him they were there for a wellness check, Carver told them he “had spoken to the person at the home earlier in the week, but had not seen her since that last conversation. Then, automatically volunteered that during that conversation permitted to be at the residence.”
Deputies say Carver acted evasively before telling them he accessed the home through the west side door which is not secure due to a previous incident. He then showed deputies how he entered the home.
Once deputies went inside, they found the deceased woman. The identity of the victim has not been released.
Carver is in the Charlotte County Jail. Bond was set at $20,000, according to the report.
