Lake County deputies confirm a body found buried in the backyard of a Leesburg home Saturday is that of a missing man.
The body of 63-year-old Jesse Wachter was found behind a home on North Lake Drive at the Mid-Florida Lakes retirement community. Deputies confirm he was murdered.
The investigation began around 8 p.m. Saturday when deputies received a report from a neighbor who said someone was at the home, loading items onto a trailer.
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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Wachter, the home’s owner, was last seen two or three weeks ago.
When deputies arrived, they found Wachter’s son, Jesse Jordan, 28, using his father’s truck to load up Wachter’s motorcycle, his golf cart and appliances.
Jordan’s girlfriend, Jessica Thigpen, 28, was in the truck with him.
Deputies discovered they both had drugs, and after admitting they were drug addicts, they were arrested for possession and taken to the Lake County Detention Center.
After feeling something was off, deputies continued to investigate.
“A cadaver dog was brought up to the home at which point he alerted on the property,” explained Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. John Herrell.
“Crime scene personnel were then brought up to begin the excavation process. I can tell you at this point a body has been found on the property and detectives are working hand in hand with the medical examiner’s office and crime scene personnel to exhume the body and eventually turn it over to the medical examiner for an autopsy to take place,” Herrell continued.
Crime scene investigators have been at the home since Saturday night and have been removing a lot of evidence from the home including a shovel and a sealed garbage can that was so heavy two men struggled to load it into the van.
On Monday, deputies said mulch was used to cover the spot where Wachter was buried. Detectives believe the person or persons responsible for burying him purchased several bags of cypress mulch, likely from a Home Depot store.
If you have any information in this case, call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at (352) 343-2101 or Central Florida Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS (8477).
