A man has been arrested in the death of a man whose body was found in a trash can, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
Ryan Michael McClelland, 33, was reported missing by family members in September 2017.
Several large withdrawals from his bank account were uncovered, and deputies identified Emery Nicholas Whitt, 26, as a suspect, Sheriff Mike Prendergast said. Whitt was McClelland's roommate.
Whitt was arrested Sept. 29 on unrelated charges. He was interrogated about McClelland's disappearance, and he had some of the missing man's property with him,
McClelland's remains were found in a wooded lot off American Avocet Point on Nov. 25 after a Citrus County deputy spotted the large trash can in Lecanto, the sheriff said. Investigators used dental records to confirm McClellan's identity.
Prendergast called it a “senseless act of pure evil.”
After more investigation, Prendergast said the sheriff's office was able to obtain a warrant Thursday for second-degree murder for Whitt.
Whitt was already being held at the Citrus County jail. He is being held without bail.
The sheriff asked anyone with information about the crime to come forward so they can build the strongest case possible.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 888-ANY-TIPS or Detectives Chris Holloway and Jonathan Richey at (352) 726-1121.
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