DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A woman who was believed to be missing after a shooting and a fire on her boyfriend's wife's boat has been found dead on the vessel nearly a week after the incident, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Police said they did not initially find Nikki Shriver's body when they entered the charred boat on Wednesday because of the fire damage. She was found lying on a bench underneath a large cushion, which investigators had to remove in order to find it, the report said.
Shriver had soot in her lungs, officials said. No foul play is suspected.
Authorities said a woman requested that officers come to Halifax Marina around 2 a.m. because her husband's mistress was on her boat and refused to leave.
"My husband's been having an affair with this stripper for a year and a half and she's been living on my boat for two days now and I was out of town so I had no idea that this woman was on my boat and I want her off of my boat and I want to file a restraining order because she keeps calling and blowing up my phone. She's the one that came to me and told me about the affair," the wife said in a call to emergency officials.
The boat had been untied from the dock and was about 20 feet away when officers arrived to the marina. Police heard at least one gunshot then saw flames coming from the boat, according to the report.
Officers said they boarded the boat, which was deemed a total loss, later that same day but did not initially find Shriver's body because it was under a cushion and because of the extensive fire damage.
Officials have not said how Shriver died or how the fire started.
Check back for more information on this developing story.