Man Accused of Dismembering Woman He Met at McDonald's After Cops Found Leg, Body
Police in Tampa, Florida, charged a man with the murder of a woman after a fisherman discovered a leg in McKay Bay on November 11. Additional body parts including a woman's torso, arm, and another leg with a tattoo were later discovered.
Robert Kessler, 69, who was arrested for an unrelated drug charge while police further investigated, was charged last week with second-degree murder and the abuse of a dead body for the murder of 47-year-old Stephanie Crone-Overholts. On Monday, the state attorney's office argued that Kessler should not be released from prison before standing trial.
Police confirmed that the remains belonged to Crone-Overholts after a photo of a tattoo on one of her legs circulated social media and her family identified her, police said. The tattoo included three hearts and the name of her son.
Kessler told WFLA-TV that he met Crone-Overholts a few weeks prior at a nearby McDonald's. He said she told him she was sleeping in her car and he offered for her to stay at his home.
According to Interim Chief Ruben Delgado, Crone-Overholts, originally from Pennsylvania, was staying at Kessler's home when her family reported her missing. Police identified the multiple human remains as belonging to Crone-Overholts after her family recognized the tattoo on one of her legs.
During the investigation, police went to Kessler's residence on November 14 and he told them that while Crone-Overholts had lived there, she left a few weeks prior and he didn't know where she was.
"However, through our investigations and some of the evidence that we were able to uncover, it was quickly determined that what he was telling us was not factual," Delgado said during a press conference.
Police quickly located Crone-Overholts' car on November 16 and discovered traces of her blood inside, Delgado said. According to police, a search warrant was issued on Kessler's residence and more of her blood was discovered inside and on a pair of shoes.
Police also said there were several witnesses who reported seeing an older man with white hair tossing trash bags into McKay Bay on November 9.
"We believe it's extremely important that we let the Tampa community know that the person responsible for this heinous crime is off the streets tonight," Delgado said.
According to authorities, Kessler has a prior criminal history and has been in prison "several times," mostly for drug activity. Tampa Police have not yet released Crone-Overholts' official cause of death.
In September, Newsweek reported about a man who was detained in connection to three dismembered bodies that were found in a burning dumpster in Texas.
Fort Worth Police arrested 41-year-old Jason Alan Thornburg and he was charged with capital murder of several persons. Thornburg was held at the Tarrant County Jail on a $1 million bond.
According to Fort Worth Police, the remains were found after 6:15 a.m. after the local fire department responded to a report of a dumpster fire. Once the flames were extinguished, firefighters found the remains of three unidentified bodies.
Police said that all three victims were burned and heavily dismembered. Police were able to identify one of the victims, 42-year-old David Lueras from one of his tattoos.
The other two bodies, which were believed to be female, were later identified but their names have not been made public.
Police did not release any motive for the crime.
