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INDIALANTIC, Fla. — What began as a desperate effort to find a missing 28-year-old Indialantic man has now turned into a homicide-related investigation after Palm Bay police say human remains discovered inside discarded suitcases at The Compound were tied to the disappearance of Colie Lee Daniel, a man whose family had been urgently pleading for help to bring him home.
Before the arrest was announced, a widely shared missing person post described Daniel’s disappearance as deeply out of character and said his family was living in fear after he failed to return home. The post said Daniel was last seen March 20 while visiting a friend’s house and never made it back the next day as expected. It also claimed his phone and watch GPS last pinged at that residence.
According to Palm Bay police, officers were dispatched around 10:50 a.m. on March 28 to the area of 1574 Bombardier Blvd. after a report of an abandoned suitcase lying in the grass and surrounded by vultures in an area commonly known as The Compound. Investigators said officers found a black suitcase, noticed a strong odor, and discovered what was later confirmed to be human remains. A second suitcase containing human remains was found a short distance away.
The arrest affidavit states that belongings found with the remains included an Amazon package addressed to Lucas Sander Jones at his home on Watson Drive in Indialantic. Investigators then connected the case to Daniel, who had been reported missing by his mother on March 22 and entered into FCIC/NCIC by the Indialantic Police Department. The victim page in the court filing identifies the victim as Colie Lee Daniel.
Jones, 19, was arrested late March 28 and charged with tampering with evidence, abuse of a dead human body, and improper disposal of human remains, according to the affidavit.
Police said they executed a search warrant at Jones’ residence around 9 p.m. March 28 and made contact with Jones and his girlfriend Mishai Burrows inside the home. Investigators noted Jones had visible healed wounds and bruises on his left shoulder and the right side of his neck. The affidavit says Jones invoked his rights and refused to participate in an interview.
Detectives also obtained a sworn statement from Jones’ girlfriend, who told investigators that on March 20 she saw Daniel at Jones’ residence lying on Jones’ bed and appearing to be asleep or unconscious. According to the affidavit, she said Jones made several attempts to wake him but she never saw Daniel stand up or regain consciousness. She later left the room briefly, and when she returned, Daniel was gone. She said Jones told her Daniel had left through the back door. She told investigators she never saw Daniel again.
The affidavit further states that on March 21, Jones’ girlfriend drove him in her red Honda Accord to The Compound, where she saw him remove two gray tote containers from the car and discard them in separate locations. She also told police she remembered seeing two black suitcases inside the residence and believed they may also have been discarded there. Investigators said the car was captured by Flock cameras entering the area twice that day.
During the search of the residence, detectives reported finding blood stains in several locations inside the home. Police also said a kitchen knife was found inside one of the recovered suitcases and that the same type of knife was found inside Jones’ residence.
The missing person post described Daniel as 5-foot-7, between 130 and 150 pounds, with shoulder-length brown shaggy hair, brown eyes, and a pierced right ear. He was last reportedly seen wearing a bright blue T-shirt, stone-colored shorts, and flip-flops.
For Daniel’s loved ones, the case represents a devastating end to days of uncertainty, fear, and public pleas for answers. What was first shared as an urgent call to help find a missing man has now led to felony charges and a chilling discovery in one of Brevard County’s most notorious remote areas.
Jones was booked on the three felony charges. Court records attached to the affidavit show bond was set at $5,000 on each count. The allegations remain accusations, and the charges have not been proven in court.
