The body of a woman who had been missing for a week was discovered in a storage unit in Florida on Saturday, according to local authorities. Shakeira Yvonne Rucker was last seen on November 11 with her estranged husband, Cory Hill, 51, who is currently in jail on charges of attempting to murder another woman. Hill is considered a person of interest in Rucker’s disappearance and the primary suspect in her death, although he has not yet been formally charged.
Rucker and Hill were last seen leaving her home in Winter Springs around 7:30 p.m. on November 11. Later that night, they were spotted approximately 70 miles south in Polk County. On Saturday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a foul smell emanating from a storage unit in Apopka. Upon investigation, deputies found Rucker’s body inside the unit, which had suffered gunshot wounds.
Sheriff John Mina stated in a Sunday press conference that Hill is believed to have shot Rucker to death inside the storage unit, which is registered in his name. As Hill is currently being held without bond in Orange County Jail, investigators are taking their time to gather evidence and build a case against him. Mina expressed confidence that Hill would eventually be charged with Rucker’s murder.
Winter Springs Police Chief Matthew Tract expressed his condolences to Rucker’s family and shared his disappointment in the tragic outcome of the case. Hill has reportedly not been cooperative with the police.
Hill has a criminal history, including a second-degree murder conviction in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1993, for which he served 20 years in prison. He was also arrested for allegedly firing shots at his ex-girlfriend’s house in front of her children, an incident that occurred the day after Rucker was last seen.
On November 12, Hill’s ex-girlfriend reported to Orange County Sheriff’s deputies that Hill had fired shots at her and her family outside her Kissimmee home. She and her family managed to escape into the house, where Hill allegedly broke a window and a bedroom door, demanding to see her while holding a gun.
Hill was arrested on four counts of attempted murder and is currently in jail without bond. His criminal history also includes a charge of second-degree murder over 30 years ago for the shooting death of an 18-year-old man in Suffolk, Virginia.
The Rucker family was reportedly unaware of Hill’s criminal past. Dedra Rucker expressed shock, stating that Hill was believed to be a religious man within their community.