A woman who worked as a crime scene technician in Pensacola, Florida was arrested in connection with the murder and disappearance of a former Jacksonville, North Carolina police officer, who was found a month after she was reported missing.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office told News Channel 12 on Oct. 20 they found the body of 33-year-old Taylor Wright the day before in a wooded area.
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Wright worked for the Jacksonville police from January 2008 to August 2009, and July 2012 to December 2013. After leaving the department, she became a private investigator.
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Ashley McArthur was arrested in connection with Wright’s death. WKRG reports that according to the arrest report, deputies found McArthur deposited a $34,000 cashier’s check in Wright’s name into her personal checking account on Aug. 16. After depositing it, she spent the money.
McArthur and Wright were together on Sept. 8, the last day anyone saw Wright alive. McArthur told deputies they went to her house in Pensacola by herself. When she came back out, Wright left, she claims.
Wright was reported missing on Sept. 14 by her girlfriend, Cassandra Waller, according to the arrest report. Waller told police that Wright put a “large amount of money” in a safe deposit box that was McArthur’s. Wright tried to get the money back “several times with no success,” according to the arrest report. Waller said Wright needed to the money “for court proceedings relating to [Wright’s] pending divorce.”
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the Pensacola Daily News that McArthur worked as a crime scene technician from June 2006 to November 2006, when she resigned voluntarily.
McArthur has been charged with first-degree murder. Her bond was set at $1 million and she has to be back in court on Nov. 19.
