Florida
Florida man allegedly dumped mother-of-four’s cremated remains alongside 500 pounds of trash on roadside
A Florida man allegedly dumped a mother-of-four’s cremated remains and 500 pounds of trash on the side of a road late last month, according to reports.
Daniel Rolando, 26, was arrested and charged with one felony count for littering over 500 pounds of commercial or hazardous waste after Charlotte County Sheriff deputies discovered a massive pile of trash in Punta Gorda on Oct. 30, ABC7 reported.
Among the heap of waste was a labeled bag with human ashes, according to the outlet.
The cremated remains belong to 39-year-old Nina Monica Brown, who died of sickle cell disease in 2024, Gulf Coast News Now reported.
“It was a straight box and plastic bag from the funeral home, like you would pick her up. It wasn’t even an urn, nothing,” resident Heather Lemcool told the outlet.
“Her name, day to day, date of birth, and date of death, and the funeral home was all on this, ID card attached to the ashes,” she said.
After sifting through the 120 cubic foot pile of trash, police found mail belonging to a woman in Sarasota and contacted her, the outlet said.
She positively identified 80% of the discarded items as hers and told deputies that she had recently had two of her units at a local storage facility auctioned off after defaulting on her contract, the outlet reported.
But the woman was dumbfounded as to how her mail and trash ended up on the side of the road and had no clue how the cremated remains wound up in the pile, according to the publication.
Employees at the storage unit then confirmed to police that Rolando had purchased the two units at the auction.
He was arrested after returning to the trash pile to clean up with a friend, the outlet reported.
Rolando later confessed to purchasing the goods and dumping the ones he didn’t want, according to the report.
Precious Tunstall, a friend of Brown, described the woman whose ashes were carelessly dumped as a “walking miracle” who battled sickle cell disease far longer than doctors predicted.
“As growing up, they didn’t expect her to live past the age of 21. She wasn’t supposed to,” Tunstall told Wink News.
“They told her that she would never bear children. She had four beautiful children, two girls, two boys, and she did everything that she had to do to provide for those babies,” she said.
She is currently working with the police to retrieve Brown’s remains and return them to her children.
“It was very inconsiderate of him to just dump her on the side of the road,” Tunstall said.
“I would like to have her ashes back, her remains back, so her children can have her remains.”
Rolando was released from jail on Thursday on $2,500 bond, the Venice Gondolier reported.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The body of Alejandro Jacomino Gonzalez, 41 was discovered in coastal Georgia, according to FBI officials.
The body of a truck driver was discovered in Georgia nearly two weeks after he went missing from a Florida rest stop, officials said.
Alejandro Jacomino González, 41, of Miami, picked up vehicles in Georgia on April 16 and was transporting them to Miami. He stopped at a rest stop in Brevard County, Florida on April 17 about 1:21 a.m. and rested for several hours.
The truck’s GPS showed shortly before 8 a.m., the truck “traveled one exit south and then turned north toward Jacksonville, Florida,” according to the FBI.
“Shortly after, González stopped responding and the truck was reported missing,” the FBI said.
The truck, without some of the vehicles González was transporting, was located in Port Wentworth, Georgia. Three vehicles were recovered in Florida, FBI officials said.
González’s body was located in coastal Georgia. Details on how he died, when and how his remains were located were not provided.
FBI seeking help from public in case of killed Florida truck driver
The FBI is seeking anyone who has photos or video from the Brevard County rest area in Grant-Valkaria, Florida between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. April 17.
Officials are especially interested in the southern portion of the rest stop, near the ramp reconnecting to Interstate-95. Images can shared through an online form.
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Isa Torres, Lonni Alameda talk about beating UF in playoff-like atmosphere
Isa Torres led FSU softball with a two-home run performance. She embraced the playoff-like atmosphere in 3-1 win over Florida. Lonni Alameda talks about the victory.
No. 8 Florida handed No. 10 Florida State a narrow midweek loss, edging the Seminoles 4-3 Tuesday night at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
It was FSU’s first loss at Gainesville in five years.
FSU (43-8, 18-3 ACC) matched UF hit for hit for much of the game but could not overcome a pair of early deficit swings, falling to the Gators (46-8, 16-5 SEC) for the second time this season.
The Seminoles scored three runs on seven hits and drew three walks. Ashtyn Danley and Kennedy Harp each went 2-for-3, and five different FSU players recorded hits.
FSU struck first in the second inning. Singles by Bella Ruggiero and Harp, along with a walk to Shelby McKenzie, loaded the bases. Hayley Griggs followed with a soft single to left to plate Ruggiero, and Isa Torres added a sacrifice fly to score McKenzie and give the Seminoles a 2-0 lead.
Florida answered with two runs on two hits in the bottom of the third to tie the game, then pushed ahead 3-2 in the fourth on an RBI single.
The Seminoles responded in the fifth, again loading the bases. Anna Hinde lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right, allowing Torres to tag and score to tie the game at 3.
Florida regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning with a solo run and held the Seminoles scoreless the rest of the way to secure the 4-3 victory.
Bella Dimitrijevic started for FSU and worked three innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with one strikeout in her 13th start of the season. Marlee Gaskell (2-1) relieved in the fourth, pitching 2 1/3 innings and striking out three while surrendering five hits. Makenna Reid entered in the sixth and recorded two flyouts to keep the Seminoles within a run.
Florida State will resume ACC play with a road series at Boston College beginning Friday, May 1, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
How to watch FSU softball vs. Boston College
- Date: Friday, May 1
- Time: 4 p.m. EST
- Where: Harrington Athletics Village, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
- TV/Stream: ACC extra
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics and Big Bend Preps for the Tallahassee Democrat. If you like to pitch a story on a high school athlete, don’t hesitate to get in touch with him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
Florida
FBI asking for help locating missing truck driver after suspected car hauler hijacking in Florida
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The FBI is investigating the suspicious disappearance of truck driver Alejandro Jacomino Gonzalez and is asking for the public’s assistance in locating him.
On April 16, investigators say Gonzalez picked up multiple vehicles from the Port of Brunswick, in Georgia. He departed the Brunswick port headed South for Miami, Florida, the drop off location for the vehicles.
Timeline of disappearance
At approximately 1:21 a.m., the FBI says Gonzalez arrived at a truck stop in Brevard County, Florida, where he rested for several hours. At 7:49 a.m., GPS from the truck driven by Gonzalez indicates the truck drove South one exit and then turned North towards Jacksonville. Soon after, Gonzalez became unreachable and the truck was reported missing.
On April 17, the truck was located in Port Wentworth, Georgia, however Gonzalez was not located in the truck. Additionally, several vehicles were missing from the hauler. Since the discovery of the truck, three vehicles have been located in Florida. Others are still missing, along with Gonzalez.
The FBI is seeking photos and video footage from any people located in or around the Brevard County Rest Area in Grant-Valkaria, Florida, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 8 a.m., on Friday, April 17, specifically focusing on the southern portion of the rest area near the ramp that enters back onto I-95 South.
The public is encouraged to share those photos and videos here.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
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