A handyman in Florida who used GoFundMe to collect donations for his late husband’s burial costs is now being investigated as a possible suspect in the unsolved homicide, according to the police.
On March 24, Timothy Smith, age 59, did not show up to his job as scheduled. During a wellness check the following day, deputies discovered him dead in his house and found signs that he had been the victim of a brutal assault that led to his death.
Sheriff Billy Woods of Marion County stated that detectives suspected the murderer was acquainted with Smith.
Herbert Swilley, the victim’s husband, is, according to a statement made by the sheriff’s office on Tuesday, being investigated as a possible suspect in the death of Timothy. The suspicion was initiated after a conversation between the detectives and Mr. Swilley. They’ve requested another inquiry. However, his counsel has claimed that he would only participate if given immunity from prosecution for Timothy’s murder.
According to the police, Swilley’s daughter, Jordan Swilley, is also being investigated as a possible suspect.
According to the sheriff’s office, Herbert and Jordan refuse to help the investigators with fresh evidence uncovered in Timothy’s murder.
The sheriff’s office is putting all of its hopes on the community members to supply any information that could be relevant to the investigation. This might include information on the activities that Timothy was involved in during the days and weeks preceding his death, as well as information about Timothy’s relationship with Herbert.
A reward of $14,500 is available for information that leads to the successful resolution of the case.
In a series of public posts on Facebook, Herbert Swilley has discussed Tim Smith’s passing on many occasions.
He posted only hours before the sheriff’s office identified him as the suspect on Tuesday when the couple would have celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary.
In April, Swilley requested more than $2,200 in contributions to be made via GoFundMe to cover the expenses of a memorial service.
