Search continues for body of Palmetto woman murdered by daughter’s boyfriend
The search continues for the body of a Palmetto woman killed by her daughter’s boyfriend, Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler said Monday.
Tyler only confirmed that they are searching a remote area in Florida for 47-year-old Tricia Freeman.
“We’ve been given a general area, and it’s a large area,” Tyler said Monday. “The challenge is our defendants are in West Virginia and we are here.”
Freeman was last seen by a friend around 2:30 p.m. March 14. She also had about 15 dogs in her small home that Tyler said she wouldn’t have abandoned. Roy Campanellia Nichols Jr. — the boyfriend of Freeman’s daughter Kayla Colyer — said he went to Freeman’s house Tuesday, then killed her after she said something that “set him off,” according to Tyler.
Nichols and Colyer allegedly drove Freeman’s green 2016 Chevrolet Sonic with her body. They then dumped it somewhere in Florida and drove north.
Freeman’s car was discovered March 16 abandoned in Ashland, Ky., and the pair were then spotted more than 900 miles away at a truck stop in Cabell County, W.V.
“From what we understand, Tricia had a challenging relationship with her daughter,” Tyler said. Freeman knew Nichols Jr., too.
The police department is examining several cell phones that show a tracking history as well as the car’s GPS, Tyler added.
Nichols Jr. faces a second-degree murder charge; Colyer faces a charge of accessory to murder after the fact.
Tyler expects the pair to be extradited to Manatee County within the next few days.
Agencies that Palmetto police are working with include the Ashland Police Department in Kentucky, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, Cabell County Sheriff’s Office in West Virginia, the Kentucky State Police and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
“It’s still very much an active investigation,” Tyler said.
Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse
This story was originally published March 20, 2017 at 10:41 AM with the headline "Search continues for body of Palmetto woman murdered by daughter’s boyfriend."