Sheriff: Body found in Orange County lake identified as suspect's missing father Juan Santiago
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Thursday that the body that was recovered in Lake Avalon in Orange County is that of 52-year-old Juan Santiago, the missing father of the 18-year-old man who led police on multiple pursuits that ended in a crash and shooting with authorities in Mount Dora.
During a news conference Thursday evening, Chitwood told reporters that Juan Santiago's family had found his body at the lake. "They received a phone call from their daughter saying they had found Juan in the area of Lake Avalon in a pocket," Chitwood said. "Detectives went over to meet Orange County, and we found Mr. Santiago deceased." They believe he has been in the area since around 1 a.m. Monday.
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The sheriff said the son, Johnny Santiago, had placed his father in a set of bushes, in a place that's completely remote.
'It's sad': Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood provides update on search for Juan Santiago
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood confirmed that a body found east of Orlando on Thursday was that of Juan Santiago, the father of an 18-year-old man who was a person of interest in Juan's disappearance, and who shot at law enforcement before being taken into custody earlier this week.
The family was able to pinpoint where Johnny Santiago drove the family's Ford F-150 using an app that connects to the truck's hardware, which led them to the lake.
"They knew we were trying to download the onboard computer and were having problems because of the technology. But they didn't tell us that the mother had an app on the phone that tracked the movement's of the F-150, and they went out and played detective today and started checking the data points," Chitwood said.
Juan Santiago had been shot, Chitwood confirmed, but said the medical examiner will determine how many times.
JUAN SANTIAGO'S DISAPPEARANCE
Juan Santiago had not been seen since Sunday after flying from New York to his family's second home in Deltona, after he and his wife became concerned after their son, Johnny Santiago, had crashed a vehicle on Interstate 4.
Earlier this week, Chitwood said the father and son began to argue over access to the family’s white 2022 Ford F-150, as the suspect's mother was on the phone with Juan in New York. The argument became heated and the mother allegedly heard gunshots and the phone went dead.
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When deputies arrived to the home on Lehigh Drive on Monday, no one was there, but evidence found at the home had detectives fearing Juan Santiago may have been killed by his own son.
"The blood in the driveway is Juan's, the blood in the back of the pickup truck is Juan's," Chitwood said after the sheriff's office received DNA results Thursday.
THE SEARCH FOR THE TRUCK
An alert was issued to other law enforcement agencies for the white truck that was also missing from the Deltona home.
Authorities later spotted the truck in DeBary Monday and its driver seemingly drove away from deputies. The truck was seen again that afternoon at a Walmart in Lake County and the driver, later identified as Johnny Santiago, fled from law enforcement, leading them on a short pursuit to Mount Dora.
At some point, Johnny Santiago began shooting at Lake County deputies, officials said, who returned fire, intense body camera video showed.
The truck crashed into a synagogue, where Johnny Santiago again began shooting at deputies, officials said. Deputies returned fire, striking the man, who then surrendered. He was taken to the hospital, and later booked into to the Orange County Jail Wednesday night.
"Obviously he will be charged with the murder of his father and with the three counts of attempted murder on the two Lake County deputies and on the Mount Dora police officer," Chitwood said.
"He drove up this dirt road, he drove down to the end, he backed up the truck and he dumped my brother," said Justo Burgos, Juan’s brother.
Burgo’s says Juan’s wife figured out how to track his truck with an app, and saw that it stopped by Lake Avalon.
Other family members went out to the location and found the body.
"She saw jeans, she saw two pairs of sneakers, she saw her father’s shirt that he left New York City wearing when he took the plan to get to Florida," Burgos said about his niece.
As avid hunters, Burgos think his brother and nephew knew the area and might have even visited it together.
"I guess they found this place from going around and searching for places," Burgos said. "So, I’m pretty sure that my nephew memorized this place."
Johnny Santiago is now facing murder charges on top of attempted murder of deputies and a police officer.
But his uncle says they’ll stay in Florida and support him, as they continue to ask what went wrong.
"I think my nephew needs to see a doctor," Burgos said. "There’s something wrong."