Taylor Wright was a private investigator in Florida who was murdered by her friend Ashley McArthur. Wright was only 33 years old when she was killed by McArthur. She worked for the Jacksonville Police Department from 2008 to 2009 and thereafter from 2012 to 2013. McArthur attempted to cover up Taylor Wright’s absence by sending fabricated text messages to her dear ones and hiding her body in the woods.
What Happened To Taylor Wright?
Reported on September 14, 2017, Wright’s disappearance was brought to police’s attention by her partner at home, Cassandra Waller. Following the incident, a search of Wright’s residence revealed that no belongings were absent; all her personal possessions remained undisturbed, and her vehicle was still situated in the driveway.
Furthermore, the investigators also believed that Taylor Wright had sent the text to Cassandra Waller informing her that she will be away for a few days. There were also reports of people who said they had spotted Wright after she was reported to be vanished. The Pensacola Police Department Public Officer, Mike Wood stated,
“We’ve investigated it, and at this point in time we have no reason to believe foul play was involved.
I can’t go into everything, but I can tell you our investigators have looked into this, and we don’t have any reason to believe, that this is nothing more than an adult who has chosen not to contact others.”
However, those close to Taylor Wright held reservations. They unanimously expressed that Wright wasn’t the sort of individual to suddenly disappear, particularly without informing her family and friends about her whereabouts. Her partner, Cassandra further claimed that the language used in Taylor’s text message did not sound like what she would normally say.
She told investigators that at one point during the day, they had stopped by her house in Pensacola. When she came back outside, Wright was nowhere to be seen.
At first, the investigators stated that they did not suspect any wrongdoing. However, they later started to focus on McArthur as a potential suspect. Their investigation revealed that on August 16th, she deposited a cashier’s check for $34,000 under Wright’s name into her own bank account. Afterward, she withdrew the money from the bank and stored it in a safe deposit box. The money has been used up since then.
The police examined the activities of McArthur and uncovered that on August 16, a cashier’s check of $34,000 had been deposited into Wright’s bank account, which she had then used. Wright became aware of this and sought to reclaim the money, resulting in her demise. The investigators then searched the property of McArthur and his family and came across the body of Taylor Wright, who had been shot in the head. Shortly after, McArthur was apprehended and accused of first-degree murder.
What Happened to Ashley McArthur & Where Is She Now?
McArthur was found guilty of first-degree murder and racketeering, as well as organized fraud in the two years prior to Taylor Wright’s death. To dispute the conviction, she appealed, claiming that the jury had seen a photograph of her with a shotgun, which had an influence on their opinion of her.
Additionally, she argued that the court had allowed inappropriate evidence, such as investigators’ testimonies, phone records, and Wright’s text messages, to be presented. Nonetheless, the Florida First District Court of Appeal validated the first-degree murder conviction and life sentence in April 2021.
Ashley Britt McArthur is currently confined to the Lowell Annex Correctional Institution in Ocala, where she is serving a life sentence. In the event that she is granted parole, she will be released to society for an indefinite time.
