On Wednesday morning, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement located what they believe to be the deceased body of Florida State U. graduate student Vincent Binder in a field near I-95 and State Road 16, according to Tallahassee Police Department.
Upon TPD’s announcement, FSU president Eric J. Barron released a statement.
“It is difficult to comprehend the senseless nature of such violence, especially for a promising young person with a full life ahead of him,” said Barron. “Our hearts are with Vince’s family and friends, and we will provide the full support of the university to them as we mourn with them.”
Binder’s friends and colleagues reported Binder missing on April 8 after he failed to report to his job as a teaching assistant in the Communications department. He was last seen around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, April 2 when he left a friend’s house.
An initial search of Binder’s apartment on the day he was reported missing was unsuccessful. The next day, investigators from TPD’s Special Victim’s unit reviewed Binders financial and phone records, which led investigators Anne Johnson and Greg Wilder to Miami on Friday, April 9.
As investigators continued their work in Miami, TPD received notification from the South Florida U.S. Marshal’s Task Force about the discovery of an abandoned black Chevrolet pickup with evidence that linked the car to the Tallahassee area. The task force had been searching for the car because it was believed to have been involved in the escape of three jail inmates from Avoyelles Parish, La.
It quickly became apparent that the three fugitives might have been involved in two robberies in Tallahassee and possibly the disappearance of Binder.
Inside the car, U.S. Marshalls discovered a Florida I.D. card belonging to Chris Pavlish of Tallahassee, maps of Tallahassee and an ATM receipt from Binder’s account in the car. Pavlish was robbed earlier the same day of Binder’s disappearance around the same area where Binder was last seen. Another robbery, less than mile away, also lists matching vehicle and suspect descriptions.
The ATM receipt was the one clue that first linked the fugitives to Binder’s disappearance.
Further investigation listed in the TPD report and reported by the Democrat, indicates that Binder’s credit/debit card was used at ATMs and gas stations in Tallahassee, Madison, Jacksonville and various locations along I-95 South.
TPD worked closely with Florida Department of Law Enforcement and U.S. Marshal’s Service, aiding the South Florida U.S. Marshal’s Task Force in the arrest of the three escaped inmates found hiding near a Budget Inn hotel in Miami.
All three escapees, Kentrell Johnson, Quentin Truehill and Peter Hughes, were arrested without incident and later interviewed by investigators from the Tallahassee Police Department.
All three men have been charged with the kidnapping in Binder’s case. The investigation is currently ongoing.