Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of the 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1 in the first two weeks of January, if not sooner, before switching to the Top 5 storylines -- the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
Photos for Headline Surfer / Screenshot of People magazine coverage of double homicide. Below: A suspect, Edgar Levern Lemon Jr. is arrested in April on felony charges of accessory after the fact homicide and destruction of evidence
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
SANFORD, Fla. -- It's the double-murder mystery from Sanford that was highlighted in People magazine in early 2021.
The woman’s body discovered is that of the local mother of two, Tiffany Church. Now it's a double homicide investigation into the shooting deaths of Church and her boyfriend, Trodarius Rainey.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma told People his deputies were working every lead and "honing in on persons of interest," adding, "We believe the victims knew the killer or killers."
The body of a Florida mom of two was found just miles from where her boyfriend’s remains were discovered as authorities say they are “honing in” on persons of interest," as People recounted following a Lemma press conference on Jan. 6, 2021.
Tiffany Church, 35, and her boyfriend, Trodarius Rainey, 26, were last seen at a gas station in Sanford, on Dec. 30, Lemma said at the press conference, adding the very next day their rental vehicle, a 2021 Toyota Camry was found in Sanford with a bullet hole in it and “the two occupants missing.”
"Obviously that raises suspicion," he said at the time.
After speaking to the couple’s family members, the pair were declared missing and endangered, the lawman said.
Then on Jan. 2, a man walking his dog at a local park discovered Rainey’s body, which authorities believe was brought there, Lemma added.
The discovery of Rainey's body launched an “all-hands-on-deck search" of Tiffany, Lemma said.
A dive team using sonar searched local waterways while aviation and canine units and a volunteer search and rescue team looked for the missing mom, he said.
Deputies scoring greater Sanford recovered Church's body on Glenway Drive six days later on Jan. 12.
"It does not appear to be the crime scene of the murder," Lemma explained, adding,
“Travis was shot multiple times and Tiffany (appeared to have been) shot one time,” he said.
The SCSO didn’t know if they were shot together at the same time or separately in different locations.
“There are separate crime scenes,” Lemma said.
Investigators are “confident that the perpetrator or perpetrators involved in this case were known to the victims,” he said.
Based upon the investigation so far, authorities “are honing in on persons of interest in this,” Lemma continued. "We know who we think may be involved."
But then, the trail went cold -- that is until April -- when an arrest was made of a man investigators were able to connect to the case.
SCSO deputies arrested Edgar Levern Lemon Jr. on felony charges of accessory after the fact homicide and destruction of evidence.
Never one to quit on a case, Lemma said his Investigators are still tracking down a motive and are "continuing to work to evaluate physical evidence from the scene."
Lemon Jr.’s phone was in the area of Lake Jesup Park, the location where Rainey’s body was found.
Court records show SCSO investigators believe Marqwone Lemon had already murdered Rainey and Church and sought help from his father Lemon Jr. Investigators said in the arrest affidavit on file with the Seminole County Clerk of the Court against his father, Lemon Jr., the disposed of Rainey’s body at Lake Jesup Park.
The search for Rainey and Church started after the black Toyota Camry rental car they were last seen in was found in the area of the 1900 block of Cameron Avenue in Sanford.
Cell records show Lemon Jr.’s phone was also in this area.
His fingerprints were also left in the car, according to court records.
Calling their killings "heinous," Lemma said the SCSO remains committed, to ensure "we will work to ensure that the families of these victims find closure and that the person or people who are responsible for this are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
The couple's deaths were a tragedy, he said, pointing out that “Tiffany Church was a mother of two,” and that Rainey was a 26-year-old man.
“Nobody deserves to die and be found on the side of the road," Lemma reiterated.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered to anyone who provides investigators with credible information. Anyone with information on the deaths or the identity of any suspect is asked to call SCSO at 407-665-6650 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.