VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A man suspected in a New York double murder who was on the run in Central Florida was captured Wednesday afternoon in Daytona Beach, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies posted on social media earlier in the day offering a $10,000 reward for information about 50-year-old Scott Mitchell, who is a suspect in a double homicide in Binghamton, New York.
According to an article from WBNG — a news station from Binghamton — Mitchell is a suspect in the homicides of two people who were found dead in a private residence.
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Volusia County deputies announced on Wednesday that they were offering the $10,000 reward in conjunction with the Binghamton Police Department for information that leads to Mitchell’s arrest.
“The person who called in the tip just earned $10,000,” the sheriff’s office said on social media.
Officials thought that Mitchell may be on foot in the DeLand area after releasing a dash-cam photo of a reported sighting of him on Hontoon Road from Tuesday. They also announced that they found a vehicle he alleged to have stolen in West DeLand.
“So really, the message is clear. [If] you’re going to kill people, you don’t want to come to this state, and you don’t want to come to this county,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said after Mitchell’s arrest.
He detailed the tip that led to Mitchell being picked up by his department.
“An AT&T worker in the area saw a guy out there panhandling, was able to talk to him and another guy and realized, ‘Hey, this is the guy they’re looking for and called us,’” he explained. “I just happened to have a lieutenant, the detective in the area, and they took him into custody.”
Chitwood said Mitchell was arrested without incident and did not have any weapons on him. He said the photos of Mitchell’s tattoos they released to the public helped the tipster identify him.
“Thank God we had an alert from an AT&T gentleman who was in the area though he saw him there yesterday. Today he went over to talk to the panhandlers and was able to 100% say, this is the guy the cops are looking for, made that call,” Chitwood said.
Mitchell will be extradited to New York.
“Binghamton detectives are on their way down here now. They should be down here early evening,” Chitwood said. “Then, they’re taking this scumbag back to New York, where he belongs, where he has to face the music.”
While he was being taken into custody, Mitchell answered questions from reporters.
“No comment on anything,” he said.
When asked if he was sorry for what he allegedly did, he responded “What did I do?”
It is unclear why Mitchell fled to Florida, but the sheriff believes he has a connection to the area.
“I kind of had the feeling he has relatives in Lake County to have parked that car there. It’s kind of not someplace you’re just going to find on your own. You had to have somebody direct you in there to do that,” he said.
News 6 returned to International Speedway Boulevard in an effort learn more about Mitchell’s final hours on the run.
While employees at the nearby McDonald’s said they were not authorized to speak on the matter, News 6 did encounter an employee at a nearby gas station.
Speaking off camera, she said she believes she waited on Mitchell yesterday. She recalled Mitchell making a small purchase and used change. She believed him to be homeless.
The employee did not register who Mitchell was until after the arrest, when she saw pictures of Mitchell and his distinct tattoos.
UPDATE: Double murder suspect Scott Mitchell is in custody in Daytona Beach. The person who called in the tip just earned $10,000. pic.twitter.com/ZAKuqDHwIS
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) February 12, 2025
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