Shakeira Rucker: Missing Winter Springs woman found dead inside Apopka storage unit, deputies say
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The Orange County Sheriff's Office confirmed late Saturday that the body of a missing Florida mom had been found.
Orange County deputies responded to the Self Storage at 2400 Wiggins Road in Apopka around 5 p.m. Saturday after someone complained about an odor. Deputies then found the body of 37-year-old Shakeira Rucker inside one of the storage units, according to an Orange County Sheriff's Office news release.
Rucker reportedly died from gunshot wounds. Her estranged husband Cory Hill is the prime suspect in her murder. The storage unit Rucker was found in is registered to Hill.
Hill is already in the Orange County Jail on four counts of attempted murder after he allegedly approached his ex-girlfriend's home and began shooting at her and other family members – the day after Rucker was reported missing.
Family members told police that Shakeira Rucker, a mother of four, was seen leaving her Winter Springs home around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11. She was later found to have visited a Polk County restaurant with Hill that night.
Her mom, Elaine Rucker, told FOX 35 that Shakeira sent a text message to her daughter that she was on her way home and had food for them. However, hours went by and Shakeira had not yet made it home, Elaine said.
'She's all I know'': Shakeira Rucker's mom
The mother of a missing Florida woman is desperate for answers. Elaine Rucker says the disappearance of her daughter, Shakeira, is taking a toll on her health. Rucker fainted during an interview with FOX 35 News on Thursday. She was treated by paramedics and released.
Hill, had previously been named a "person of interest" in her disappearance.
However, he reportedly refused to talk to deputies or police about the disappearance of Rucker.
Estranged husband 'person of interest'
The estranged husband of a missing Winter Springs woman has been officially declared a "person of interest" in her disappearance, according to the Winter Springs Police Department. Shakeira Rucker, 37, has been missing since Saturday night, Nov. 11, when she was last seen leaving her Winter Springs home around 7:30 p.m., according to police. Her family believes that she left with her estranged husband, Cory Hill, 51, though it's not known where they went.
Sheriff John Mina said in a press conference that Hill will be charged with the murder of Rucker eventually.
What we know about Cory Hill
Hill has previously been convicted of another violent crime – murder.
Court records obtained by FOX 35 from Suffolk, Virginia show that Hill was convicted of murdering 18-year-old Dontwaine Cornelius Everett in the front yard outside his house.
Around 7:10 p.m. — two days before Christmas — Hill was talking with Everett and the two began arguing.
Hill pulled out a gun and shot Everett who died ten minutes later.
Hill was sentenced to 20 years in prison for second-degree murder and another two years for using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Court records show Hill found himself back in front of a judge three times in 2009, accused of assault and battery.
Hill was arrested the day after Rucker went missing
On Nov. 12, detectives responded to a shooting that happened on Holly Creek Road in Orange County. A woman, Angel Mulligan, said Hill approached her and her family with a gun and started shooting.
No one was injured and Hill allegedly ran away before detectives arrived. He was located in Mount Dora and arrested by police there, OCSO said.
"He was trying to kill me," Angel Milligan told FOX 35 on Monday night.
According to Milligan, she and Hill used to date, and they lived together. Milligan said she broke things off in September, after speaking with Rucker.
"She’s like, ‘Hey, do you know he’s married?’, I’m like, ‘no, all I know is so far he’s telling me he’s out of town at work’," Milligan recalled.
Milligan said she filed an injunction against Hill, so she was surprised to see him at her house on Sunday, November 12. Her surprise turned to terror when she said he pulled out a gun.
"He said, ‘Don’t run now’… that was the first words out of his mouth, ‘Don’t run now’… and at that point, I went to turn my back to run in the house and all you hear is gunshots," Milligan said. "I felt the wind of like two of them graze past my face as I’m running."