DeLand therapist accused of murdering man, stuffing body in car, deputies say

DELAND, Fla. - A 46-year-old man was arrested after a body was found inside a vehicle near a home in Volusia County on Thursday. 

Police responded to a home on S. Frankfort Avenue in DeLand around 7 a.m. Thursday regarding a "suspicious incident," and later found a body nearby while canvassing the area, they said.

Travis McBride, 46, was taken into custody, police said. A man called 911, identifying McBride as the person who killed 52-year-old Clinton Dorsey. According to police, McBride and the victim knew each other. 

According to the witness, McBride dragged Dorsey's body across the road before putting him in his car and driving away. About 30 minutes later, the witness alleged he saw McBride cleaning up blood on the road after returning to the crime scene. 

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When deputies arrived on the scene, they found droplets of blood next to a spent 9mm shell casing near a driveway. 

Photo: Travis McBride, Credit: Volusia County Branch Jail

They also spoke to a neighbor who said McBride came to her house the day before looking for Dorsey because he "put glass in a jar for his dogs," an arrest affidavit shows. McBride allegedly told the woman he was going to kill Dorsey.

The woman described Dorsey as a "homeless guy who lives in the woods across the street from her house," arrest records show. 

Another witness pointed deputies to a nearby dumpster, where he saw bloody clothing inside. McBride's car was in proximity to the dumpster, deputies said. 

When officers looked inside McBride's car, they said they saw Dorsey's body in the backseat.

Multiple other witnesses reported hearing gunshots the night Dorsey was killed. McBride also had injuries on his hands, arms, and torso that he said he got from training dogs and from "shooting."

McBride is facing a first-degree murder charge and remains in the Volusia County jail. He was not given a bond.

According to court records, in 2017, McBride was arrested and accused of strangling a relative because of the way they handled one of his dogs. He managed to avoid conviction and jail time after agreeing to complete at least six months of counseling.