ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man is in custody in connection with the deaths of a 19-year-old activist in the movement for racial equality and a 75-year-old woman.
Police said Oluwatoyin Salau contacted them June 6 to report a possible sexual battery that happened the previous evening, and she was soon reported missing by her family.
“TPD intensified its efforts to locate Salau,” the Tallahassee Police Department said in a news released posted on Facebook. “Outreach was initiated to her known associates and victim advocate groups to which she had been referred. Additionally, officers checked locations she and others without permanent residences frequented. A missing person flier was widely disseminated, garnering national attention. A team of more than a dozen TPD investigators worked tirelessly to find Salau.”
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Police said a second woman, Victoria Sims, was also reported missing by her family.
Investigators said her home had been burglarized and ransacked, and her vehicle was missing.
They said they received information that led them to a home on Monday Road, where they discovered the bodies of both women.
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Police said Aaron Glee Jr., 49, who lived at the home, fled to Orlando on a bus. He was booked into the Orange County Jail early Sunday on murder and kidnapping charges.
Investigators said they do not believe the original battery Salau reported is related to her death.
“The information and description Salau provided to police and posted on social media prior to her disappearance does not match the person ultimately found to be responsible for her murder,” police said in a release.
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Tallahassee police at 850-891-4200 or Crime Stoppers at 850-574-8477.
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The hashtag #JusticeforToyin spread across social media Monday following the news of her death and tweets from Salau that indicated she had been sexually assaulted prior to her death.
The agency released the following statement about the women:
“Each woman was passionate about improving the lives of others. With Salau protesting for justice and policy change with Movement 850 and Sims serving the elderly with AARP, TPD is committed to upholding the legacies of their service on behalf of others by bringing the person responsible for their murders to justice.”
Officials have not revealed how the women died.
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