Ex-boyfriend of Florida mom, 37, is arrested in TN nearly a week after she went missing

Police have arrested the ex-boyfriend of a missing Florida mom in Tennessee nearly a week after she went to see him to pick up their four-year-old daughter – her family is ‘relieved’ and hoping to find ‘more answers.’ 

Marcus Spanevelo, 34, was arrested in Lebanon, Tennessee, around 10am on Saturday and has been charged with tampering with evidence, giving false information concerning a missing person investigation, and destruction of evidence. 

‘Spanevelo was arrested based on a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes warrant which was signed by a judge,’ the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a press release. ‘We are cautious as to the information being released due to the sensitivity of this case.’

Carli’s sister Reann posted a video on Facebook reacting to the arrest, saying: ‘We are a little relieved to know that Marcus is in custody, and we’re hoping that can bring us some more answers and closer to finding Cassie.

‘Like I said, now that he’s in custody, hopefully we can get a few more answers on her disappearance. We’re going to bring Cassie home.’ 

Cassie Carli, 37, was last seen leaving her father’s home in Navarre, Florida, at 7pm on Sunday to pick up her 4-year-old daughter, Saylor (right), from the girl’s father

Carli with her daughter Saylor 

She also said the ‘search is on tomorrow’ as the family continues to search for the mother-of-one. 

Detectives from Santa Rosa County traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday and located Marcus Spanevelo and his daughter, Saylor, four, three days after the girl’s mother, Cassie Carli, vanished in Navarre, Florida, located more than 260 miles away. 

Authorities said the former couple’s child is ‘safe’ and ‘search efforts for Cassi Carli remain underway.’ The Maury County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee said the father has been booked into jail. 

Carli’s sister Reann posted a video on Facebook reacting to the arrest, saying: ‘We are a little relieved to know that Marcus is in custody, and we’re hoping that can bring us some more answers and closer to finding Cassie’

Carli was last seen on Sunday and days after Spanevelo was found in Alabama, hundreds of miles away, before being arrested on Saturday 

The community has shown up on the beach every day to help search for Carli 

Carli’s car was located on Tuesday in Navarre with her purse inside, raising concerns for her well-being, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said during a press conference on Thursday, adding that there has been no activity on the missing woman’s phone or credit card since Sunday.  

Johnson said his detectives still do not know if Carli has been the victim of a crime, but she is considered to be missing and endangered. Spanevelo has not been arrested or charged. 

Carli had arranged to meet up with Spanevelo to exchange custody of their daughter at around 7pm in the parking lot of Juanita’s Grill at Navarre Beach.

Every day the family and community members have met in the parking lot of Juanita’s Grill at Navarre Beach – where her car was found – to search for her, according to WEAR-TV.

Spanevelo, the ex-boyfriend of missing Florida mother Cassie Carli, was located in Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday, with his four-year-old daughter Saylor, but he has not been arrested or charged

He was booked into jail, according to the Maury County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee

Her father, Andrew Carli, told DailyMail.com that before going, she told him, ‘”I’ll be right back.” She never came back.’ 

Andrew said Spanevelo, whom he described as a ‘narcissist,’ had a turbulent relationship with his daughter after their split. He claimed that prior to her disappearance, Carli had obtained a court order compelling her ex-boyfriend to pay her $6,000 in child support.

Carli’s dad also said that Spanevelo would not take his calls or answer his text messaging asking about Carli. 

Carli’s young sister Raeann told Fox News her sister felt ‘extremely unsafe’ around Spanevelo and had warned her family about him. 

‘Just in general, with her relationship with him, it has always been, she has had some fear of him,’ her sister said. ‘He’s always controlling, and tried to be manipulative, and she had some fear of him in the past. And what he’s capable of, or planning maliciously towards her.’  

 Raeann, who lives in North Carolina, told NBC’s Dateline that Cassie and her ex typically met at a Walmart located in Destin, halfway between Navarre and Panama City, where Spanevelo lives. 

The custody exchange was set to take place at this parking lot at Navarre Beach

Carli never returned home and was reported missing by her father on Monday evening 

But for an unknown reason, they decided at the last minute to change their meeting place Sunday. 

Nearly four hours after Carli went out to pick up Saylor, her father, with whom she lives in Navarre, received text messages from his daughter’s phone, telling him that she was having problems with her phone and her car.

Speaking to DailyMail.com on Thursday, Andrew Carli said he does not believe Cassie sent those texts.  

Carli never made it home that night, and she was still missing the following day when her father came home from work and discovered that his daughter has not returned.  

That evening, nearly 24 hours after her last sighting, Carli’s father contacted the authorities and reported her missing. 

Santa Rosa Sheriff’s deputies located Carli’s vehicle on Tuesday morning at Navarre Beach, but she was nowhere to be found. Her purse was discovered inside.  

Saylor has been found safe with her dad, but her mother never made it home, sparking a massive search involving law enforcement officials and volunteers 

Sheriff’s deputies located Carli’s car at the Navarre Beach parking lot on Tuesday 

Carli’s friend Sam Graves, who organized a search party in Navarre on Tuesday, told WEAR-TV that Saylor’s father, whom she identified as Spanevelo, falsely claimed that he had brought Cassie to Graves’ house after she ‘freaked out’ on Sunday. 

Andrew Carli, Cassie’s dad, called those claims ‘bulls***,’ arguing that Spanevelo never even met Graves.  

Graves said that Spenevelo is a Brazilian national and that he previously threatened to take Saylor out of the country. She also alleged that the man was an ‘abuser,’ although Spenevelo has not been charged with any crime related to Carli.   

Graves grimly remarked said that all indicators are pointing to a ‘worst-scenario ending.’  

However, Sergeant Richard Aloy, with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, said officials do not suspect foul play at this time and are actively looking for Carli.

Carli had just started a new job at the nearby Eglin Air Force base the day before. Her sister said Carli told her that her first shift went well. 

Raeann Carli said that her sister is in a great physical and mental shape, and is known for her fun and outgoing personality. 

Carli is described as being 5-foot-5 and 150lbs, with blue eyes and blonde shoulder-length hair. She has a mole on her right cheek. 

Carli is described as being 5-foot-5 and 150lbs, with blue eyes and blonde shoulder-length hair