Sheriffs said Joshua Cullen reported his mother missing after her remains had already been found in Charlotte County.
NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A 47-year-old Florida man has been arrested after authorities said he dumped his mother’s body in the Peace River, where boaters later found her wrapped, bound and weighed down with cinder blocks and chains.
Joshua Cullen faces charges of neglect of an elderly person and abuse of a dead human body, according to Lee County and Charlotte County officials. The case began as a missing-person report in North Fort Myers and grew into a joint investigation after detectives connected that report to human remains recovered March 29 near the Peace River.
Deputies went to a North Fort Myers home May 25 after Cullen reported that he had not seen his mother since March, officials said. Investigators said Cullen gave several accounts of where she might be, including that she had suffered a stroke, had been hospitalized or had left with an unidentified wealthy man. As detectives checked those claims, they learned that Charlotte County deputies had already recovered a woman’s body weeks earlier. “What began as a missing person investigation soon revealed a web of lies, deception, and a shocking disregard for human dignity,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said.
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said boaters spotted something large under the water near the Peace River on March 29 and called authorities. Deputies found a woman wrapped in carpet, tightly bound and held down with cinder blocks and chains, Prummell said. On Wednesday, the Charlotte County Medical Examiner identified the remains as Cullen’s missing mother. Officials have not released her name, exact age, cause of death or the date she died. Detectives said they believe she died inside the North Fort Myers home before her body was moved to Charlotte County.
Investigators said license plate reader technology helped place Cullen’s vehicle near the disposal site. On March 28, detectives said, the vehicle was recorded traveling toward Hunters Creek with a wheelbarrow secured to the roof. Authorities later determined the wheelbarrow was the same one found near the area where the woman’s body was recovered. Detectives also said Cullen had been accessing his mother’s financial accounts and bought an RV while her whereabouts were unknown. Her personal belongings, including a bed and other furniture, were missing from the home, officials said.
The arrest was announced Wednesday during a joint news conference with the Lee County and Charlotte County sheriff’s offices. Marceno said investigators believe Cullen continued living in the home after his mother died. “We believe the woman died inside the home, and Cullen continued living alongside her deceased body,” Marceno said. He called Cullen a “sorry excuse for a man” and said the victim was left “exposed, discarded, and alone” while Cullen continued with his life.
Cullen’s bond was set at $50,000, according to the Lee County booking website. Prosecutors could consider additional charges as detectives continue processing evidence, officials said. The investigation remains active, and authorities have not said whether anyone else is suspected of helping move or hide the body.
The case now moves through the criminal court process as detectives work to confirm how and when the woman died. Officials said more findings could be released after evidence testing and the medical examiner’s review are complete.
Author note: Last updated June 4, 2026.