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Florida Man Is Accused Of Driving Around With Missing Woman's Body In Truck After Beating Her To Death
“This is not the ending we hoped for,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said of Tara Deaton's murder. “But, with a successful prosecution we hope to bring some closure to Tara’s loved ones.”
A Florida man has been accused of fatally beating and strangling a missing woman, then driving around for a day with her body in the trunk before dumping her in the forest.
Dagan Blake Boring, 24, is now facing charges of murder in the death of 37-year-old Tara Deaton, whose remains were later discovered inside Point Washington State Forest, according to a statement from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
“This is not the ending we hoped for,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said. “But, with a successful prosecution we hope to bring some closure to Tara’s loved ones.”
It’s believed that Boring and Deaton had been in a romantic relationship. Phone records showed the pair were in “consistent communication” with each other until May 22, when the communication came to an abrupt end, according to an arrest report obtained by Oxygen.com.
Deaton’s family and friends also reported that they never heard from her after that date.
The next day, a deputy with Walton County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a 2-door gray Lexus coupe with an expired temporary tag that was later linked to Deaton. The vehicle fled and was involved in a hit-and-run near Santa Rosa Beach.
On May 24, the vehicle was found discarded “in a secluded area approximately two miles from the location of the hit and run,” authorities said. It had significant damage to the passenger side of the vehicle and seemed to be “inoperable.”
After securing a search warrant, investigators found an “abundance of blood” in the trunk of the vehicle.
They took a sample of the blood stain and submitted it to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who were able to link the sample to DNA found on a ChapStick in one of Deaton’s purses, according to the arrest report.
Her family had reported her missing out of Kentucky two weeks after the crash.
Investigators located Boring at a Fort Walton Beach, Florida convenience store on July 14. He agreed to talk to investigators and allegedly admitted to having a “physical altercation” with Deaton, according to the report.
He allegedly told investigators that he had beaten Deaton with his fists and then loaded her into the car and started driving. At some point, a second altercation occurred and he told investigators that he blacked out, authorities said.
When he came to, he allegedly told investigators he realized that he must have strangled her to death because she was already dead, according to the report.
Boring sought help at a local hospital for a hand injury he received after punching Deaton in the mouth and catching his hand on her tooth, authorities said.
After getting the medical attention, he allegedly told investigators he drove around with Deaton’s body in the trunk “for approximately one day” before he decided to dump it in the forest.
He later helped lead investigators to the body, which had been stuffed into a black sleeping bag, officials said.
Boring is currently being held without bond at Walton County Jail.
A spokesperson for the Walton County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide any additional details about the case to Oxygen.com, citing the ongoing investigation.
