An arrest has been made after the body of a missing 18-year-old from Lakeland was found Wednesday in Sumter County.
On Friday, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office announced 19-year-old David Anthony Gracia, also of Lakeland, had been charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of Charlie Roberts Jr.
Detectives say the pair were seen together on Tuesday.
Then, Roberts vanished and his family reported him missing. His cell phone history led investigators to the Green Swamp Wildlife Management Area, which sits on more than 50,000 acres of land across Sumter, Polk, and Lake counties.
Emergency crews used helicopters, drones, ATVs and four-wheel-drive trucks to search a heavily-wooded part of the swamp off SR-471 in the southern part of Sumter County. Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, they found Roberts' body.
Detectives say the initial investigation determined Roberts was shot with a gun.
On Thursday, authorities got an arrest warrant for Gracia, who was in Pinellas County at the time. Investigators say he agreed to surrender himself to Sumter County detectives in Bushnell.
Gracia was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center. He is being held without bond.
"The Sumter County Sheriff's Office expresses our deepest condolences to the family of Charlie Roberts Jr. and would like to thank the Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission for their assistance during this investigation," the Sumter County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement.
Anyone with information that could help detectives is asked to call the sheriff's office at 352-569-1680 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
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