A Florida man called police on Memorial Day to report his elderly mother missing. He seemed concerned. He offered theories. He told investigators she may have suffered a stroke, been hospitalized — or perhaps run off with a wealthy man he couldn’t quite identify.
It was all a lie. She had been dead for weeks.
Joshua Kuke Cullen, 47, of North Fort Myers, is now sitting in a Lee County jail cell, charged with neglect of an elderly person and abuse of a dead human body — after authorities say he wrapped his mother’s corpse in blankets, rolled her inside a rug, bound her with tape, weighed her down with cinder blocks and chains, and sank her body to the bottom of the Peace River.
All so he could keep spending her money.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno didn’t hold back at a press conference following the arrest. “What began as a missing person investigation soon revealed a web of lies, deception, and a shocking disregard for human dignity,” he said. “This sorry excuse for a man left this woman exposed, discarded, and alone while he selfishly carried on with his life.”
The case broke open on May 29 — four days after Cullen filed the missing persons report — when Charlotte County deputies responded to a call near the Peace River. A group of boaters had spotted something large submerged beneath the surface.
What they pulled out was a woman’s body, tightly wrapped and deliberately weighed down. It was Cullen’s mother.
Investigators then turned their attention back to Cullen — and what they uncovered painted a damning picture. He had been draining his mother’s bank accounts for weeks. Among his purchases: a brand-new RV.
Traffic surveillance footage later placed him at the scene. Photos showed a wheelbarrow and ladder — believed to be used in the disposal — strapped to the top of his car. Authorities also recovered blue straps, a ladder, and the wheelbarrow near the river.
“We believe the woman died inside the home, and Cullen continued living alongside her deceased body,” Sheriff Marceno said.
“A group of boaters saw something large submerged in the water. We responded, and located a woman wrapped in carpet, bound tightly and weighed down by cinder blocks and chains.” — Lee County Sheriff Bill Prummell
Cullen was arrested Tuesday at the Twin Pine Villages home he once shared with his mother. He is currently held on a $50,000 bond and is due in court on July 6. His partner in the case — if any — has not been named. Authorities have not yet revealed how the mother died.
What Happens Next: As investigators continue building their case, additional charges could follow depending on the official cause of death. If the medical examiner’s report determines foul play beyond neglect, Cullen could face far more serious charges — including homicide.
One thing is already certain: the RV he bought with his mother’s money won’t be taking him anywhere except deeper into the justice system.
