Authorities said evidence tied Joshua Cullen to the Peace River site where remains were found.
NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Lee County missing-person report ended with the arrest of a North Fort Myers man after deputies said his mother’s body was found wrapped in carpet and submerged in the Peace River.
Joshua Cullen, 47, is accused of moving his mother’s body from Lee County to Charlotte County and dumping it in the river, sheriff’s officials said. The case links a May 25 missing-person report to remains recovered March 29, creating a timeline that investigators are still working to complete.
Cullen told deputies he had not seen his mother since March, officials said. Investigators said he offered several explanations, saying she may have had a stroke, been hospitalized or left with an unidentified wealthy man. Detectives then found that Charlotte County authorities had recovered human remains nearly two months before Cullen made the report. “A group of boaters saw something large submerged in the water,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said. Deputies responded and found the body of a woman bound tightly and weighed down with cinder blocks and chains, he said.
The Charlotte County Medical Examiner identified the remains Wednesday as Cullen’s mother, officials said. Authorities have not announced her cause of death, and the exact date she died remains unknown. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said investigators believe the woman died inside the North Fort Myers home. Detectives also said Cullen remained at the residence after her death and continued to use her financial accounts. Officials said he bought an RV and that several of the woman’s personal items, including furniture and her bed, were missing from the home.
Investigators said technology and physical evidence helped connect Cullen to the river site. Detectives said license plate readers captured his vehicle March 28 heading toward Hunters Creek with a wheelbarrow on the roof. Authorities said that wheelbarrow matched one found near where the body was recovered. The next day, boaters reported the object in the water, leading Charlotte County deputies to the remains. The identification weeks later linked the Peace River recovery to the Lee County missing-person case.
The Lee County and Charlotte County sheriff’s offices announced Cullen’s arrest at a joint news conference Wednesday. Marceno described the case as one involving lies, financial activity and the disposal of a body across county lines. Cullen was charged with neglect of an elderly person and abuse of a dead human body. His total bond was listed at $50,000 through Lee County jail records.
Authorities said the investigation is not finished. Detectives are still reviewing evidence from the home, the vehicle, financial records and the river recovery site. Officials have not said when the medical examiner may release a final cause and manner of death. They also have not said whether prosecutors will file more charges after the review is complete.
For now, Cullen remains accused in a case that began with a report that his mother was missing and shifted once detectives matched her to remains found in Charlotte County. The next major step is the completion of evidence processing and any charging decision by prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated June 4, 2026.