Detectives said false online claims grew after an arrest in the death of Daneshia Heller, 30.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Fort Lauderdale police said Tuesday they are not searching for a serial killer after a woman was found dead near a dumpster last week, a case that sparked online rumors even as detectives said a suspect was already in custody on a first-degree murder charge.
The public warning came as investigators continued building the case against Altavious Powell, 34, who police said is connected only to the death of Daneshia Heller, 30. The department’s update aimed to calm residents and stop misinformation that police said had begun naming locations and describing vehicles linked to no crime, while Heller’s relatives spoke publicly about their grief and their demand for justice.
Officers found Heller’s body the morning of Feb. 18 in the 200 block of Northwest 15th Avenue, behind a cluster of single-story apartment buildings near Broward Boulevard and not far from a police station. The scene also sits close to North Fork Elementary School, a detail neighbors said made the discovery even more disturbing. Detectives and patrol officers surrounded the dumpster area, and residents watched as authorities secured the site and later removed the body.
Early accounts from the neighborhood described a body near the dumpster covered with cardboard, and police later said Heller was found naked and covered. Some residents told reporters they had concerns about empty apartments nearby and people entering the area at night. One neighbor said a family member saw a man and a woman in an alley the night before the body was discovered, but it was not clear whether that sighting was connected to the killing.
Police said Powell was arrested Thursday, Feb. 19, and booked on a first-degree murder charge. Detectives said they first took him into custody on an unrelated matter and then, through their investigation, identified him as the homicide suspect. Investigators said they believe Heller was killed inside a vacant apartment and then left outside near the dumpster. Geiger said detectives linked Powell to the crime scene through DNA evidence as they continued reviewing digital records and messages to understand what led to the killing.
Even with the arrest, rumors spread rapidly on social media, including claims that multiple bodies had been found and that a serial killer was operating in the city. At a Tuesday news conference, Geiger said the department decided to address those posts directly because they were stoking fear and placing people at risk. “We do not have a serial killer that we are looking at in the city of Fort Lauderdale,” he said, adding that posts had escalated from a single claim into a string of new allegations that detectives said were not supported by evidence.
Geiger said the rumors had practical consequences, with online users sharing descriptions of vehicles and people who were not involved. He warned that those claims can endanger innocent residents and their families when strangers begin looking for someone based on a bad post. Geiger said investigators were still working to determine motive and were sorting through “cell phone data, text messages, and things like that” as they verified timelines and relationships connected to the case.
Heller’s relatives said the flood of online speculation did not match what they were living through. Her aunt, Latoya Snell, said the family had gone days without sleep as they mourned and waited for answers. Her father, David Heller, said the way his daughter was left behind haunted him. “She was a human, and she was treated like an animal,” he said, choking up as he described the grief of knowing he could not protect her.
Powell remained jailed without bond as detectives said the investigation continued. A public defender assigned to Powell filed a motion to withdraw because of a prior connection to Heller, and a judge scheduled a hearing for Wednesday. Police said they expect additional developments to come through lab testing, continued interviews and upcoming court proceedings.
Author note: Last updated February 25, 2026.