BUSHNELL, Fla. – A man was arrested Tuesday in Sumter County on charges of murder and abuse of a human corpse in connection with the death of his stepfather, whose dismembered remains were found in Bushnell in July.
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office said Benito Peralta Farrar faces a second-degree murder charge and is being held at the Sumter County Detention Center without bond.
Sheriff's officials said they received confirmation Tuesday that human remains recovered from 212 E. Belt Ave. in Bushnell were those of Claudio Carvajal Hernandez, who had been reported missing about a month before his remains were discovered.
"We had a lot of evidence taken from the search warrant that was sent to the lab," SCSO Capt. Tony Prevatt said. "There's a lot involved. It just takes time."
Carvajal Hernandez's death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, officials said. His cause of death was listed as homicidal violence by unknown means.
Deputies said the condition of Carvajal Hernandez's remains required extensive laboratory testing in order to make a positive DNA match, which created a significant delay in the investigation.
Prevatt said investigators are still trying to determine a motive behind the slaying.
"All we know during the interview, I think it was mentioned there was some type of altercation. No real motive for why this occurred," he said.
Detectives said they had enough evidence to link Peralta Farrar to his stepfather's death. Prevatt said he voluntarily came to the Sheriff's Office on Tuesday and spoke to investigators.
"During the whole investigation of the missing person he was seen in the backyard where the remains of the stepfather were located at the time we executed the search warrant. I want to say he was also seen driving the stepfather's vehicle, which is a pickup truck and he was the only one with the stepfather at the time he went missing," Prevatt said.
Investigators said they are still searching for the victim's body.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.