MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – A husband and wife have been charged with the murder of a man found Tuesday inside a burning car in Jennings State Forest.
Clay County detectives have identified the victim as 35-year-old Corey Lane of Jacksonville. They are still waiting on confirmation of Lane's identify from the medical examiner.
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The Sheriff's Office said the investigation led to Joseph White, 37, and Bobbi White, 47, who were acquaintances of Lane. Detectives believe Lane's murder occurred at the Whites' home on Timothy Street in Middleburg and that the couple transported the body to the forest in Lane's van and set it on fire.
A citizen called 911 at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday reporting a car was on fire off Nolan Road. Fire crews put out the fire and the remains of a person were found inside.
Authorities said the damage was so severe that the vehicle's make and model could not be determined. The license plates and VIN were also melted.
According to the arrest report, family members of Lane told detectives that Lane left his home in Jacksonville about 9 a.m. Monday to pick up the Whites in Middleburg and give them a ride to a doctor's appointment.
The Whites were arrested Thursday on charges of murder, armed robbery, armed burglary, arson and possession of heron. They are expected to appear before a judge Friday morning.
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith, a former JSO officer, offered some insight Thursday about what's next in the investigaiton.
"They'll get positive ID and also remove any evidence from the home, because it appears they may have robbed him, and the items they have taken may be in the home," Smith said. "And through interviewing them, one may implicate the other. They may turn on each other."
Joseph White has several previous arrests, including a 2011 charge of being an accessory after the face in an armed robbery, a 2013 charge of driving on a suspended license and a 2014 charge of introducing contraband into a detention facility.
Bobbi White has a previous arrest for aggravated domestic battery in June.
A neighbor, who said he just moved in recently, said he witnessed an altercation in the driveway of the couple's home.
"This was probably a few weeks, maybe a month and a half, after I moved here, there was a truck out there, middle of the day, nothing suspicious or anything like that -- there was an argument, maybe people get into arguments. I didn't think anything of it, but I don't stick my nose in anyone's business, so I just kept on driving,” Andrew Scoma said.
He said he has two children and the thought that a murder might have happened so close to his home is concerning.
“My sisters live around the corner. There's been a couple instances that have happened in the past 10 years or so, but (it's) definitely an eye-opener that something happened right down the road from me,” Scoma said.
Lane's relatives said they are devastated by his death but declined an interview.