Walton County man charged in murder of woman whose body was found in state park

Tom McLaughlin, Northwest Florida Daily News
·2 min read

The man who led Walton County deputies to Point Washington State Park and the body of missing Tara Deaton has now been charged with her murder.

Dagan Blake Boring, 24, of Santa Rosa Beach, was taken into custody late Thursday. The Walton County Sheriff's Office said Boring took them to Deaton's body after he was located at a Fort Walton Beach convenience store.

“This is not the ending we hoped for,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “But, with a successful prosecution, we hope to bring some closure to Tara’s loved ones.”

Deaton,37, was reported missing out of Kentucky in June, just two weeks after her vehicle, a gray Lexus coupe, was involved in a hit-and-run on County Highway 30A in South Walton, the Sheriff's Office said.

Body located: WCSO investigating after human remains found in Point Washington State Forest

The following day, May 24, the vehicle was found in a wooded area about two miles from the crash, the news release said. The car was impounded and brought to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office where a search warrant revealed blood in the trunk.

Efforts to locate Deaton were initially unsuccessful. The Sheriff's Office issued a request for help locating her July 7, and said at the time she was believed to be in danger.

Extensive interviews with family and friends assisted authorities in developing Boring as a person of interest. Boring was believed to have been in a relationship with Deaton at the time of her disappearance, the Sheriff's Office said.

Also of interest: Conservationists again stand in opposition to Point Washington road plan in Walton County

He was located Thursday in Fort Walton Beach and took investigators to the state forest and Deaton's body.

He remains in the Walton County Jail and at a first appearance was ordered held with no bond. Initial charges indicate authorities do not believe the homicide was a premeditated act.

The District 1 Medical Examiner’s Office, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Kentucky State Police, and First Judicial Circuit's State Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Man who led deputies to woman's body in state park charged in her death