TITUSVILLE, Fla. – A woman who went missing under “alarming circumstances” was found dead -- likely as a result of violent circumstances -- in the trunk of a vehicle that belongs to a suspect in the case, according to Titusville Police.
Police said 36-year-old Anna Primavere was found in the vehicle in Lebanon, Tennessee Wednesday evening, days after she was reported missing.
Investigators said a nationwide manhunt has begun for 27-year-old Courtney Dawn Gibson, who owned the vehicle Primavere was found dead in and has been identified as a suspect in the case.
Gibson was last seen in Lebanon on Sunday.
Gibson was a babysitter hired by the landlord at 4005 Trinidad Avenue, which is where Primavere was renting a room.
Police said Gibson was captured on video driving away from the house on Saturday morning with a mattress on the roof of her Red Kia Forte.
Investigators said an initial search of Primavere’s room “revealed alarming circumstances and physical evidence that she may have been harmed.”
Officers said the mattress fell off Gibson’s car and she burned it on the side of the road.
Police said investigators in Tennessee were able to find Gibson at her parent’s home on Sunday but she refused to cooperate with the investigation and would not let authorities search her vehicle.
Titusville PD said they worked with Lebanon Police to get a search warrant for the vehicle.
Officers said Primavere was likely killed in a violent manner in the home between 7 p.m. and midnight on Friday.
While police were investigating Primavere’s disappearance, they arrested a man in an unrelated child abuse case after officers said they found a bruised, filthy child eating dirt at the Trinidad Avenue home.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.