Man found dead in St. Lucie suspected in deaths
PORT ST. LUCIE — A 61-yearold man whose body was found in a car in a Port St. Lucie neighborhood last week is suspected of killing his aunt and her boyfriend before dying of natural causes, the St. Lucie County Sheriff ’s Office said Monday.
Authorities say Gary Boice, 70, and Gabriele Legg, 56, whose bodies were found on the morning of Feb. 28 in houses less than a mile apart, were murdered.
Melvin “Chip” Anderson, who was found dead in Boice’s car that same morning, is the main suspect, Sheriff Ken Mascara said Monday from the sheriff ’s headquarters.
A preliminary investigation showed that Anderson, who lived with Legg and was related to her by marriage, died from natural causes. A definitive cause is pending the outcome of toxicology screenings.
“We do not believe there is anyone else in this murder and death case,” Mascara said in a news conference that was streamed on the office’s Facebook page.
Investigators did not release the cause of death either for Boice or Legg, saying their investigation is not yet complete.
According to the sheriff ’s office, the situation unfolded shortly before 10 a.m. Feb. 28 when deputies and St. Lucie Fire District paramedics responded to a single-car crash near the intersection of Oleander Avenue and Beach Avenue.
There they found Anderson, 61, who was then taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Detective Paul Taylor described the crash as “very minor” and an unlikely factor in Anderson’s death.
Less than 10 minutes later, the landlord of a rental home on the 600 block of Ash Street went to check on tenants who were moving out. He noticed a foul smell and something wrapped in a carpet in the garage.
It was the body of Legg, Mascara said. She and Anderson lived at the Ash Avenue address, but Legg was in the process of moving out to live with Boice, whom she was dating, Mascara said.
Investigators determined that the car Anderson was found in was registered to Boice at his home on the 6800 block of Shelly Terrace in the city’s Oleander Pines neighborhood.
After not receiving an answer at Boice’s front door, detectives looked through a window into the home and saw Boice’s body on the floor. Investigators believe that Boice was killed that morning, Mascara said.
It was not clear when Legg died, although a neighbor reported last seeing her in the front yard on Feb. 18, Mascara said. Anderson lived with Legg for about three years, including about a year at the Ash Street address, investigators said.
He began living with Legg while she was married to his late uncle, according to the sheriff ’s office. The uncle’s name was not immediately available.
Witnesses told investigators that, prior to the discovery of Legg’s body, Anderson had either sold or given away furniture and home goods. Both Anderson and Legg were supposed to vacate the home, but it was not clear whether Anderson had made other living arrangements.
Boice’s relatives told investigators that he had asked Anderson about Legg’s whereabouts, with Anderson giving various explanations about her absence.
The sheriff ’s office is asking anyone who purchased anything from Anderson, or had recent interactions with him, to call detectives at 772-462-3230.