Court records: Daughter of missing woman charged with giving false information

Body found in search for missing woman, 79, Osceola deputies say

ST. CLOUD, Fla. – The daughter of a missing woman in Osceola County has been arrested and charged with giving false information to deputies in the search for her mother.

According to Osceola County court records, Amy Day, 44, is accused of changing the details she told detectives about where she was and who she was with during the time period her mother, Lea Hawkins, 79, went missing.

According to her arrest report obtained by News 6, Day told deputies that Hawkins called her and said she was going to Colorado with a friend, but investigators said Hawkins' car was still at her home and her cellphone was turned off.

The report says Day told detectives she drove to her boyfriend's house in Gainesville on Friday, but when asked how she drove if she doesn't have a car, she changed her story, saying he drove to St. Cloud.

At first she told detectives her boyfriend's name was Kerry, but he was listed as Terry in her cell phone, according to the report.

Detectives said when they tried to contact her boyfriend, the number went to a utility worker in Orlando who never met any of the people involved in the case.

Detectives also said they checked Day's cell phone, and they report it showed no record for any call from Hawkins.

Investigators also executed a search of the home Day and her mother share on Lake Shore Drive.

They said they found Hawkins clothes stuffed in a garbage bag in the attic of the garage along with her luggage.

Day's charges come one day after deputies said a body was found in Hawkins' backyard.

Deputies have not identified the body or released information on the investigation, only that the search was ongoing at her home on Lake Shore Drive in St. Cloud.

Neighbors said the woman lives at the home with one of her daughters. Lea Hawkins has been there for more than 20 years.

"We heard a pop around 8:30, just one single pop," said a neighbor, who did not want to be identified. "You know, I was scared because my daughter was asking, 'What was that pop?'"

People described Lea Hawkins as a kind and agile woman, who would mow her own lawn at 79 years old. They also say she had received death threats in the past.


About the Authors:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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