Lucas Jones Charged With Second-Degree Murder After Remains of Registered Sex Offender Found in Suitcase in Palm Bay
By Space Coast Daily // April 2, 2026
Murder victim Colie Lee Daniel was reported missing on March 22, 2026
BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA — Detectives with the Palm Bay Police Department and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a suspect and filed a second-degree murder charge against 19-year-old Lucas Jones following the discovery of human remains inside a suitcase in ‘The Compound’ of Palm Bay.
According to the investigation, officers responded on March 28, 2026, to the 1500 block of Bombardier Boulevard after reports of an abandoned suitcase with vultures nearby.
Upon arrival, officers located a black suitcase in tall grass and discovered human remains inside.
Evidence recovered at the scene identified Lucas Jones as an immediate person of interest.
The investigation revealed Jones was associated with Colie Lee Daniel, who had been reported missing to the Indialantic Police Department on March 22, 2026.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Jones’ residence on Watson Drive in Indialantic, where Jones and his girlfriend were located.
The girlfriend told investigators that on March 20, she observed Daniel lying on a bed inside the residence while Jones attempted to wake him. She said that after briefly leaving the room, she returned to find Daniel gone, with Jones stating he had exited through the back door.
According to the investigation, Jones instructed his girlfriend to accompany him to the Bombardier Boulevard area in Palm Bay on March 21. She told detectives she observed Jones remove two gray totes and a suitcase from the vehicle and discard them in separate locations, but said she was unaware of their contents.
Flock Safety camera footage later confirmed the vehicle was in the area that day.
Jones was initially arrested on March 28 and charged with tampering with evidence, abuse of a dead human body, and improper disposal of human remains.
The remains were later positively identified as 28-year-old Colie Lee Daniel, a registered sex offender in the State of Florida.
Following additional interviews and evidence processing, detectives working in coordination with the Brevard County State Attorney’s Office and the Brevard County Medical Examiner’s Office established probable cause for a charge of second-degree murder.
On April 1, investigators executed a second search warrant at the Watson Drive residence, where Jones was taken into custody without incident on the upgraded charge.
Deputy Chief Spears said the case highlights the importance of collaboration among local agencies.
