Marine stationed in Florida charged with murdering woman found dead in Alabama pond
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A U.S. Marine stationed in the Florida Panhandle was arrested in an interstate investigation of a missing woman who was found dead in an Alabama pond this week.
On Wednesday, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office announced that 20-year-old Willie Ellington was charged with the murder of 26-year-old Tshey Bennett. According to ECSO, Ellington is also charged with possessing child pornography.
ECSO PRESS RELEASE: On 12/14/24, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a missing person, Tshey Bennett....
Posted by Escambia County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Bennett was reported missing over the weekend after ECSO said she was last seen late Friday afternoon near 7300 Plantation Road in Pensacola. Due to the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, investigators said they began to work on her case as a possible homicide.
It wasn't until Wednesday that investigators' suspicions became true when Bennett's body was found in a pond located in an abandoned neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama, over 50 miles west of where she was last seen, ECSO said.
Investigators soon identified Ellington, who is an active duty Marine onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, as the suspect and took him into custody after finding him in Opelika, Alabama, 200 miles northwest of Mobile.
According to ECSO, the preliminary investigation determined that Bennett was working as an escort and had met Ellington at the Sweet Dreams Inn in Pensacola at the time of her disappearance.
ECSO has not released further information regarding the case at this time.