Shaquina Harris vanished after leaving a Charlotte hospital, and a man tied to the area of her last known contact is now charged.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For more than six weeks, Shaquina Latavia Harris’ family and friends searched for answers after the 29-year-old disappeared following a hospital visit. The case has now shifted from a missing-person investigation to a homicide prosecution.
Charlotte authorities arrested Floyd Morris Long, 45, on Saturday, Aug. 15, and charged him with first-degree murder in Harris’ death. He also faces charges of felony larceny of a dog and concealing or failing to report a death, according to jail and court records. The arrest came after relatives and friends spent weeks looking for Harris and distributing information about her disappearance.
Harris was last seen on the morning of July 2 leaving Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Early in the investigation, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said she might have been traveling toward the area of Beatties Ford Road and Woodford Bridge Drive in north Charlotte. Her family later said her last known contact came through a FaceTime call from an acquaintance’s home on Woodford Bridge Drive.
Communication with Harris then stopped. Her relatives and friends said the silence was unusual and began searching for her, placing missing-person notices around the community and seeking information from people who might have seen her. The search drew attention to the north Charlotte neighborhood where family members believed Harris had last been in contact with others.
Court records have now placed that area at the center of the criminal case. A warrant obtained by local news outlets lists Long’s address on Woodford Bridge Drive. The records accuse Long of killing Harris on or around July 5, several days after she was last seen leaving the hospital. Authorities have not publicly detailed what occurred during the period between Harris’ disappearance and the date cited in the murder allegation.
The same court documents accuse Long of stealing Harris’ dog, described as a white, long-haired Yorkie-terrier mix. He also is accused of concealing or failing to report Harris’ death. Records cited by local news organizations allege he disposed of her body with the intent to hide the death. Those claims are allegations and have not been established at trial.
Residents in the neighborhood told WBTV that they had seen Harris’ relatives searching the area before the arrest. Some recalled family members canvassing the street while trying to learn what had happened to her. The neighbors interviewed by the station said they did not know Long personally, but the murder charge brought the investigation much closer to the area where the search had focused.
Long’s arrest also came one day after he was released from jail in an unrelated case, according to court records reviewed by WBTV. Those records show he had been jailed Aug. 8 on a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon and released Aug. 14 with electronic monitoring. He was taken back into custody Aug. 15 on the charges involving Harris.
Important questions in Harris’ case remain unanswered publicly. Investigators have not disclosed what evidence caused them to identify Long as a suspect, what relationship, if any, existed between Harris and Long, or a possible motive. Authorities also have not publicly provided a detailed account of Harris’ movements after her last known communications.
Long was being held without bond in the Mecklenburg County jail following his arrest. The murder charge remains an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The investigation is continuing as Harris’ disappearance moves into the court system as a homicide case.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 17, 2026.