Police in Daytona Beach, Fla. announced Thursday that a man who allegedly murdered a married couple who were found dead early Sunday morning has been arrested.
Authorities captured 32-year-old Jean Robert Macean at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday morning in Orlando, Fla. A task force working on the arrest included the Daytona Beach Police Department, members of the United States Marshals Service, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department.
Macean faces two counts of first-degree murder. He will be booked at the Orange County Jail prior to his extradition to Volusia County. NBC News said it was not immediately clear if Macean has a lawyer.
“This was one of the most brutal murders I’ve ever seen in my 20-plus years as a police officer in Daytona Beach,” stated Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young.
Young described the crime as a “random, senseless act of violence that never should have occurred.”
According to a WESH report, 48-year-old Terry Aultman and 55-year-old Brenda Aultman – the married Daytona Beach couple – were found on the side of the road.
“We found two people possibly dead... there's blood everywhere,” a 911 caller said, according to the outlet. The 911 callers said Terry Aultman was lying face-down on his chest and his wife was lying face-up on her back in a grassy area next to the sidewalk.
Though police initially thought the couple died in a hit-and-run accident, they realized that both victims’ throats had been slashed. The Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled their deaths a homicide.
The Aultmans were riding their bikes home from “Bike Week” festivities on Main Street in Daytona Beach when they were attacked, investigators said. Law enforcement is still trying to determine a motive behind the murders.
“We want to thank the entire Daytona Beach community and the communities around us for providing our detectives with over 100 tips,” said police. “We appreciate that level of cooperation in such a serious matter.”
Less than 24 hours after a $50,000 reward was posted by the Daytona Beach police department to find the killer, Macean was found.
“Investigators are still sorting through the tips received and a determination on the reward money will be made once that process is complete,” the department said.
Brenda Aultman’s daughter, Sara Turner, called the killing a “nightmare I never expected,” while speaking with reporters Thursday.
“I don't think this will ever feel real,” she said. “My mother was my best friend — the most amazing caring, giving loving selfless person in the world.”
“I thank our law enforcement partners for working with us to bring this man into custody,” Young said. “I have full confidence that the justice system will do its job. I hope that this will help all of Terry’s and Brenda’s family, friends and loved ones cope with their senseless loss.”
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