The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has reported that Shakeira Rucker, a 37-year-old mother of four from Winter Springs, Florida, who had been missing for over a week, was discovered deceased in a storage unit, turning her disappearance into a homicide investigation.
Rucker was last seen on November 11, and her body was located on Saturday. Authorities responded to the storage unit facility in Apopka on November 13, following a 911 call regarding a foul odor emanating from one of the units. Upon opening the unit, they found Rucker deceased, with apparent gunshot wounds. The official cause of death is pending an autopsy.
Authorities have expressed their condolences to Rucker’s family, and detectives are dedicated to seeking justice in this case.
Cory Hill, aged 51, is considered the prime suspect, given that the storage unit was registered in his name.
On the night of her disappearance, Rucker was seen leaving her home with her estranged husband. Surveillance footage showed the two leaving a Polk County restaurant together. Hill was arrested on unrelated attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting at a former girlfriend and her family on November 12. He has declined to cooperate with deputies regarding her disappearance.
Rucker’s 16-year-old daughter, Mikayla Rucker, expressed her anguish, saying, “I just want my mom to come back… It’s hard, her not being here because I’m always with her. It’s like I can’t live without her. She’s all I know.”
A $5,000 reward was offered by Crimeline for information leading to answers about Rucker’s disappearance.
The search for Rucker spanned four counties and involved various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. The motive behind Rucker’s shooting remains undetermined.
