Arrest made in death on Firetower Road

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the homicide investigation that left a Bay County woman dead on Firetower Road.

51-year-old Jeffrey Andrew Schuller,of Panama City, was arrested during a traffic stop in Bay County and is awaiting extradition to Washington County on second-degree murder charges. Schuller is also charged in Bay County with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon.

WCSO began investigating the  death of 41-year-old Dawn Kristen Langford after her body was discovered early in the morning of July 12, lying in the roadway. Langford had suffered a gunshot wound leading investigators to determine she was a victim of homicide.

The early stages of the investigation led WCSO to Bay County. With the assistance of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, video surveillance footage from various convenience stores placed Langford in Schuller’s vehicle.

Footage shows the couple later arriving and departing from Schuller’s residence late in the evening on July 11 with Schuller returning to the residence just before midnight without Langford.

According to WCSO, witness statements allege that Schuller and Langford were involved in a romantic relationship.

During the afternoon of July 13, BCSO conducted a traffic stop of Schuller driving the same truck that had been seen in the video footage. A search warrant was obtained for Schuller’s residence and vehicle by WCSO. Late on the night of July 13, the search warrants were executed. Schuller, a convicted felon, was found to be in possession of several firearms and ammunition.

Evidence collected during the search of Schuller’s home connected him to the murder of Langford.

“We started with nothing and were able to make an arrest in this senseless act of violence in less than two days,†said Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews. “Investigators with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Fourteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Medical Examiner’s Office worked nearly around the clock to apprehend the murder suspect.â€

Details in the investigation are still unraveling. The News will continue to follow this story and update as information becomes available.