SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – After the body of a 62-year-old Longwood man was discovered in the Banana River in Merritt Island earlier this week, investigators say they have arrested the person responsible for his death.
A boater discovered the body around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday east of Morningside Drive, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. The Brevard County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified the victim as Trevor Morrison, of Longwood.
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Longwood police said Morrison’s sister in Miami reported him missing Wednesday and said she hadn’t been able to reach him since June 3. Officers went to Morrison’s home at 315 Heather Ave. and did not find any signs of a break in.
“I don’t believe in the beginning we thought it was suspicious it was more missing/endangered because of medical issues Mr. Morrison may have had,” Sgt. Derek Chenoweth said.
Later the same day, his sister drove up from Miami and entered the home with officers, according to the police report. Morrison was not inside the home and his truck and cellphone were also not there, police said. Morrison is diabetic and left home without his insulin, causing officers to issue a missing endangered person alert for him.
Morrison’s vehicle was located Wednesday in Osceola County being driven by 40-year-old Leekham Bryan, who was detained, police said. According to the report, Osceola County deputies spotted the vehicle when Bryan drove into a Kentucky Fried Chicken on Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee.
Osceola County deputies arrested Bryan on a warrant out of Seminole County for aggravated battery, kidnapping, armed burglary and grand theft.
According to an update from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Bryan killed Morrison in Longwood and then transported the victim to Brevard County in an attempt to cover up the crime.
Bryan was booked into the Osceola County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Seminole County.
According to the Longwood police report, Bryan is from Hempstead, New York.
“He was just a very quiet person that was fine, because [Trevor Morrison] lived by himself, he had no family or anything like that,” neighbor Jo Litten said.
The investigation is ongoing.
“Hopefully it’s just an isolated thing and it doesn’t happen again, it’s just sad because he was such a nice guy,” neighbor Denise Nunnally said.