Inset: Ashley O. Averett (Bay County Jail). Background: Authorities digging up the yard where Averett allegedly buried her dismembered boyfriend, Joseph Eiler (WMBB).
A 32-year-old woman in Florida is accused of killing her 38-year-old boyfriend, allegedly shooting him in his sleep before dismembering his body and burying the remains in the yard of the home they shared with two small children.
Ashley Otero Averett was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with one count of first-degree premeditated murder of Joseph Martin Eiler, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Bay County Sheriff”s Office, the case began as a missing persons investigation after Eiler’s father on March 14 reported he had not seen his son since the early morning hours of March 12.
The father, who lived on the same property as the couple, told authorities he overheard an argument between Averett and Eiler around 4 a.m. that day inside their home on Creek Haven Road in Fountain, Florida. During the argument, he said he heard his son “cry out” and “observed him washing his face off saying the defendant struck him with a flashlight.”
Later that morning, the father said he “overheard what he thought were gunshots at the residence.”
The father became increasingly concerned when Eiler failed to show up for work for two consecutive days and could not be reached.
When deputies responded to the home, Averett allegedly told them that after she and Eiler argued, he left the home with an unknown friend.
On Monday, March 16, the father contacted deputies again, describing what he believed to be unusual activity by Averett, including lighting a fire in the firepit and asking “what to do with ashes and how to dispose of them.” He later sifted through the ashes and said he found what appeared to be trigger locks.
He also told officials that Averett initially refused to let him into the home and that when she did, he saw that the bedding had been removed, laundry was being done repeatedly, fresh dirt had been placed in the yard, and a firearm was visible on top of a safe.
Authorities returned to the home to speak with Averett again. Before doing so, they spoke with a family member who claimed Averett admitted to the killing. According to the affidavit, the witness said Averett told her she had shot Eiler while he was asleep and later attempted to dismember the body in the bathtub and dispose of his remains in the yard.
Bay County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jason Daffin told Panama City ABC affiliate WMBB that the family had called 911 and was trying to turn Averett in to protect her two children who also lived in the home.
“They were in no way trying to assist her or trying to help her get away with anything,” he told the station. “They were there because there were a couple of small kids in the residence. They were there to try to protect them.”
Eiler was reportedly the father of one of the two children.
Averett allegedly confessed to murdering Eiler during an “ongoing argument” in a post-Miranda interview with detectives.
“The defendant did disclose that she killed the victim by shooting him in the back twice with a .380 caliber pistol,” the affidavit says. “The defendant stated after shooting the victim he died and she then attempted to remove his limbs in the bathtub with a hatchet and a knife. The defendant stated this all started due to an ongoing argument between the defendant and the victim on the night of March 11, into March 12. Once the defendant partially dismembered the victim’s body, she stated she took his body and parts out into the yard in a gray tote and buried the victim in multiple parts of the yard.”
Averett also allegedly confessed to purchasing cleaning supplies from multiple stores in an effort to scrub the scene of potential evidence.
Authorities executed a search warrant at the residence where they allegedly discovered human remains buried in a freshly disturbed area of the yard, consistent with the location described during the investigation.
Authorities also noted that Averett allegedly spray painted “Joe I love you” on a storage box in the yard where the remains were recovered.
Averett is currently being held in the Bay County Jail without bond. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to return to court.
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