GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – The man accused in a Green Cove Springs home invasion case involving a married couple now faces manslaughter charges, News4JAX has learned.
Aubrey Lumpkin, 46, is accused of holding the married couple hostage for two day in their own home in April.
On Wednesday, Lumpkin was charged with manslaughter and tampering with evidence. He appeared before a judge Thursday morning on the new charges and was ordered to be held on $300,006 bond. He remains in custody on charges of home invasion, false imprisonment, and other felony charges from the previous case.
Lumpkin will next be in court on the manslaughter case July 11.
A spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office confirmed the manslaughter charges against Lumpkin are directly connected to the discovery of human remains just days after his arrest. They said the remains belonged to a woman, but they are not identifying her because the family has invoked Marsy’s Law.
How the victim died was not determined, but the medical examiner found found trauma to the neck, face and mouth area.
The relationship between Lumpkin and the victim is still unclear, but detectives say Lumpkin confessed to killing someone.
This unusual case began after Lumpkin called 911.
When deputies arrived at the house, they discovered an elderly couple had been tied up inside and held hostage in their home. The couple had to be taken to the hospital because they were malnourished and dehydrated after being tied up for 48 hours.
A neighbor told News4JAX Lumpkin once lived next door to the couple and was staying with someone who was related to them. Days after Lumpkin was booked into the Clay County jail, investigators went back out to the property to follow up on something they say Lumpkin told them when he was first detained.
“He made several statements about potentially burying somebody on a property next to the house. Knowing he had access to that property for the time he was there, we began a search of the property,” Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said.
And it was during that search that deputies discovered the human remains on April 15.
Lumpkin remains in jail without bond.
He has a pre-trial hearing coming up in three weeks.