ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — A missing persons case out of Orange County reportedly came to a tragic end last month after authorities said they found a woman dead and dismembered in a suitcase on the side of a Georgia highway.

The investigation began with a welfare check at a home in the Waterford Lakes area on the morning of Oct. 29, according to NBC affiliate WESH.

A friend told Orange County deputies that he had started receiving concerning text messages from one of the residents, 41-year-old Jorge Javier Quintero. When authorities got there, they couldn’t find Quintero or his girlfriend, 29-year-old Carmen Elsa Escalante Carrera.

Instead, they were met with a gruesome scene, according to descriptions in an arrest report. Deputies reported finding a large kitchen knife, a bloodied bathtub, bloody clothes and handwritten letters that they said were consistent with suicide notes.

Security footage reportedly showed a man walking out of the back door and driving off in a white truck just 30 minutes before. Through their investigation, deputies said they were able to confirm that Quintero had rented that same white truck.

Also inside the home was information for another nearby apartment complex. Investigators said they learned that the couple was in a new relationship and was in the process of moving into the building.

Detectives continued their search for Quintero and Escalante Carrera at their new unit, which had already been leased to Quintero. According to the arrest report, the door was unlocked when authorities got there.

While inside, deputies said they found bloody towels, additional blood spots on the wall and many of Escalante Carrera’s personal items, except her phone. By 1:30 p.m., detectives said her phone was pinging in Seminole County, Georgia.

Pings from license plate readers reportedly showed the white truck traveling in a similar direction. Some license plate readers also captured photos of the truck. Officials said the photos appeared to show a trash bag that was in the shape of a human body in the bed of the truck.

As their investigation continued, detectives said they were able to obtain security footage from a Lake City, Florida gas station that showed Quintero making purchases using Escalante Carrera’s phone. However, she was nowhere to be seen.

Then, on Oct. 31, the U.S. Marshals found Quintero and the rented truck in Alabama, where they got into a shootout. Quintero was critically injured, but deputies told WESH he was still alive as of Nov. 26.

Escalante Carrera was not with Quintero when the shootout occurred. However, Georgia officials reported finding human remains in a suitcase on the side of a highway about three hours later.

The remains were visibly identified as Escalante Carrera. According to the arrest affidavit, she was found in brutal condition. Detectives said a power cord was wrapped around her neck and her body parts were fully or partially dismembered.

A medical examiner said Escalante Carrera died from ligature strangulation.

Quintero is facing a first-degree murder charge, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Florida Gators have made a change to their 2025 non-conference football schedule, according to a report from Swamp247.

Florida previously had all four of its non-conference opponents set for next season, including a matchup at home on Saturday, October 11 against the Florida A&M Rattlers of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Per the report, that game will not be played.

Instead, Florida has scheduled a different FCS opponent and it will be the season-opener at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., likely on Saturday, Aug. 30. That opponent will reportedly be the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks of the Northeast Conference (NEC).

We previously reported that LIU was scheduled to open the 2025 season on the road against the FIU Panthers on Aug. 30. If the Sharks are instead playing at the Gators as reported, their contest against the Panthers will have to be rescheduled. The LIU-FIU contract was signed in February of this year and also includes a men’s basketball game.

The Florida Gators did not previously have a season-opening contest scheduled, so that is likely the reason for their schedule alteration. Other non-conference opponents scheduled for the Gators in 2025 include the USF Bulls at home on Sept. 6, the Miami Hurricanes on the road on Sept. 20, and the Florida State Seminoles in Gainesville to close the regular-season on Nov. 29.

In SEC action next season, Florida is scheduled to host Georgia (in Jacksonville), Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Texas and travel to Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. SEC opponents in 2025 are the same as the 2024 season, but with the locations flipped.

Florida, which has claimed consecutive victories over ranked conference opponents at home — No. 22 LSU (27-16) and No. 9 Ole Miss (24-17) — is next scheduled to visit the 2-9 Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Nov. 30 in Tallahassee, Fla. The game will be televised by ESPN2 at 7:00pm ET.

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