WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A Santa Rosa Beach man has been charged with murder after allegedly taking investigators to the location of the victim’s body, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office has announced.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, human remains located inside Point Washington State Forest are believed to be that of 37-year-old Tara Deaton.
Dagan Blake Boring, 24, of Santa Rosa Beach, has been arrested and charged with her murder, the WCSO said.
Deaton was reported missing out of Kentucky in June, two weeks after her gray Lexus coupe was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run on County Highway 30a.
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The following day, May 24, the vehicle was found in a wooded area about two miles from the crash. The car was impounded and brought to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, where a search warrant revealed blood in the trunk, the WCSO said.
According to the WCSO, its investigators attempted to locate Deaton and interviewed numerous family and friends. After an exhaustive search, investigators were led to Boring, who is believed to have been in a relationship with Deaton at the time of her disappearance.
Boring was located at a convenience store in Fort Walton Beach on July 14 and later is reported to have led investigators to the location of Deaton’s body inside Point Washington State Forest.
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Boring was arrested for homicide and booked into the Walton County Jail, where he received no bond at first appearance.
“This is not the ending we hoped for,” said Sheriff Michael Adkinson.
“But, with a successful prosecution, we hope to bring some closure to Tara’s loved ones.”
