Missing woman found dead in Florida bay 80 miles from home, cops say. Man charged

A missing woman from Alabama was found dead in a Florida bay days after police found her apartment unlocked and empty, authorities said.

A Florida man has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence, the Dothan Police Department said in a March 12 news release.

A friend of 32-year-old Marisa Allen requested a wellness check on Oct. 31 after not being able to reach her, according to authorities.

When police arrived, Allen didn’t answer the door. They found her back door unlocked and went inside, but Allen was gone, police said.

A missing person investigation began, but it took a turn with the discovery of Allen’s body.

On Nov. 5, her body was found 80 miles south in a bay near Lynn Haven in the Florida Panhandle, police said.

Investigators then obtained a search warrant for her apartment, where evidence of foul play was found, police said.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida arrested 41-year-old Santeni Green and charged him with tampering with physical evidence.

The Panama City man was booked into Bay County jail on Nov. 15, records show. His attorney information is not available in jail records.

Green and Allen knew each other, but investigators did not disclose further details about their relationship.

Police obtained forensic evidence, and after an analysis that came back March 11, they also charged Green with murder.

Investigators believe the crime began in Alabama, so Green will be extradited from Florida to Alabama, a spokesperson for the Dothan Police Department told McClatchy News.

Dothan is in southeast Alabama, about a 110-mile drive from Montgomery.

This story was originally published March 13, 2024 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Missing woman found dead in Florida bay 80 miles from home, cops say. Man charged."