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New details continue to emerge in the murder case of Autumn Strickland, a Florence woman whose remains were discovered after she was reported missing over the weekend.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly confirmed Strickland was intentionally run over by her own car early Saturday morning and then later burned on the suspect's property.
Connolly said Strickland checked into the Stricklin Hotel Friday evening before going to The Boiler Room, the hotel's bar. She reportedly left the bar around 1:50 a.m. Saturday. He confirmed security footage captured her around 2:08 a.m. running down North Wood Avenue before being struck by her vehicle twice.
Connolly said Strickland was left in a parking lot for roughly 30 minutes before someone in a truck picked up her body. Investigators believe that person to be 28-year-old Logan Rogers, and Connolly said evidence indicated Rogers took her body back to his home, placed it in a barrel, and attempted to burn it. Her remains were discovered on a property on the 2200 block of North Wood Avenue, and Rogers was arrested and charged with murder on Wednesday. He is currently being held without bond, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 14.
At this time, investigators do not believe Rogers and Strickland knew each other prior to that night. They are still working to determine how the two may have crossed paths. Lindsay Maldonado, a close friend of Strickland's, told ÐÔÊӽ紫ý 31 she spoke with Strickland about a month ago. Strickland had lived in Alabama for two years while working on rental properties with her mother, but she said she was ready to return to South Florida. Maldonado said it is sad to think about that now because her friend's life was taken in such a violent way.
"I'm just devastated," she said. "It sounds like a Dateline or Crime Junkie episode, but it's my friend, you know. It's not right."
Describing her as kind-hearted and full of life, Maldonado said, "Just happy, silly—you could always call Autumn, you know? She was just always fun, very easy to be around and have fun with."
Strickland had endured personal tragedy before, Maldonado shared. She had a son who died of cancer, but a few years later, she welcomed a daughter into the world. Maldonado had strong words for the person accused of taking her friend's life.
"You're heartless, and you really deserve to have done to you what you did to her," she said. "Seems like just punishment."
This is a case ÐÔÊӽ紫ý 31 is following, so check back in for updates.
