Boyfriend charged with murder after missing woman’s body found in Florida woods, cops say

A man was charged with murder after the body of his girlfriend, who had been missing for nearly two months, was found in the woods, Florida cops said.

The man led investigators to remains believed to be those of Tara Deaton, 37, inside Point Washington State Forest on July 14, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. Point Washington State Forest is a 15,400-acre protected area, about 120 miles west of Tallahassee.

Deaton was last seen on May 20 in Miramar Beach, 153 miles west of Tallahassee, according to a July 7 post on the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. Her loved ones told officials that her mental state had “significantly declined” in prior months.

Deaton was reported missing out of Kentucky in June, about two weeks after her Lexus coupe was in a hit-and-run crash May 23 on a Florida highway, according to the sheriff’s office.

On May 24, investigators found the vehicle in a wooded area about two miles from the crash site. The car was brought to the sheriff’s office where blood was found in the trunk.

Detectives spoke to many of Deaton’s family members and friends, which led them to Dagan Blake Boring, 24, a man who was believed to be in a relationship with Deaton when she disappeared, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies found Boring at a convenience store in Fort Walton Beach on July 14, and he later led them to Deaton’s body. Fort Walton Beach is about 40 miles west of Point Washington State Forest.

Friends and family members mourned Deaton on social media and said what happened to her was an injustice.

“You did NOT deserve this!!” wrote Beth Atha, who said she was Deaton’s cousin, but grew up with her like a sister. “I WILL do EVERYTHING I can to get you JUSTICE!!!”

A friend of Deaton’s posted a tribute to her as well as.

“Get HELP if you need it,” wrote Jessica Caudill, who said Deaton was one of her childhood best friends.

Caudill wrote that she would always remember days spent on the trampoline with Deaton and “countless sleepovers belting out Mariah Carey and laughing (until) we cried.”

Boring is being held at the Walton County Jail, according to jail records.

“This is not the ending we hoped for,” Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement. “But, with a successful prosecution we hope to bring some closure to Tara’s loved ones.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Boyfriend charged with murder after missing woman’s body found in Florida woods, cops say."