Body found in woods, another hanging from tree after welfare check, Florida cops say

One body was found in woods and another was discovered hanging from a tree when a murder plot came unraveled at a Florida home, according to investigators.

The dead were one victim and one suspected killer, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release.

Investigators made the grim discoveries around 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, at a home in Spring Hill, about 50 miles north of Tampa.

A family member of William Scott Trudell called 911 to report he may have been killed by an acquaintance, prompting a welfare check at the home.

“Deputies then conducted a search of the surrounding area where they located Trudell’s body lying on the ground in a nearby wooded lot,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies located drag marks from the side garage door of the residence to where Trudell’s body was located.”

Dakota Lee Croft was also found dead, “hanging from a tree” in the back yard, officials said.

An investigation revealed that Croft and Dustin McMillan, 33, had “devised a plan to attack Trudell” at the home, officials said. The two men were “upset with Trudell for being a ‘cop caller’ and disrespecting women in the home,” investigators say.

“When Trudell entered the garage they ambushed him and killed him. A family member entered the garage a short time later and saw Trudell’s body lying on the floor. That family member immediately left the residence,” the sheriff’s office said.

The two suspects then dragged Trudell’s body to a wooded area and began cleaning the garage to remove evidence, officials said.

It’s suspected Croft hanged himself after the clean up was finished, detectives say.

McMillan was arrested at the home and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, officials said. He is being held without bond.

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