FLORIDA – Authorities in Santa Rosa County have announced a third arrest connected to the horrific death of 14-year-old Danika Troy, whose burned body was discovered in a wooded area earlier this month. The latest arrest does not involve the killing itself, but rather the man who reported finding her body—hours after he first saw it, according to investigators.
Mitchell Eddins, 45, was taken into custody after police determined he delayed contacting law enforcement and also removed a scooter believed to belong to the victim. Eddins faces two misdemeanor charges: failure to report a death and petit theft.
Man Reported Finding Body Hours Too Late, Police Say
According to an arrest report reviewed by Law&Crime, Eddins called police shortly after midnight on Dec. 3 to report a body in the woods near Pace, Florida—a body later confirmed to be Danika Troy. But investigators say he actually discovered the scene around 1 p.m. on Dec. 2, nearly 11 hours earlier.
Eddins told police he had been walking along a wooded trail when he stopped to relieve himself and noticed a burned patch of ground. He then saw a black scooter, and when he went to take it, he discovered a burned body lying nearby…