A man taken into custody in April for the murder of his 12-year-old daughter in 2023 is believed to have committed the act following a sexual assault, according to a Florida prosecutor’s statement on Monday.

State Attorney Jack Campbell revealed to WCTV that evidence indicates Andrew Wiley, 32, murdered Lori Paige after making her pregnant. It is alleged that Wiley subsequently abandoned her body in a wooded area in Thomas County, Georgia, where authorities discovered it in April.

Wiley allegedly bought a plane ticket from Jacksonville, Florida, to Puerto Rico soon after disposing of her body. He reportedly drove to Jacksonville but, for reasons that remain unclear, returned quickly to Tallahassee.

Wiley eventually reported Paige missing, claiming she left home with a backpack while he worked a night shift. Police Chief Lawrence Revell said Wiley’s account showed inconsistencies as their investigation continued.

Notably, Tallahassee police said amid Paige’s disappearance that foul play was not suspected. They initially deemed the missing 12-year-old a “runaway,” though the police department has since stopped using that terminology in missing person cases.

Wiley was arrested around the time Paige’s body was found in April. He died last week in Leon County, where he was jailed for his daughter’s second-degree murder.

A preliminary report stated that Wiley died from natural causes stemming from a pulmonary embolism.

Though police accused Wiley’s brother of being deceptive during questioning, Campbell said they believe Wiley acted alone. He explained that they did not pursue the death penalty because it is possible Paige’s death occurred during an altercation, making it difficult to establish premeditation.

“This seems to be much more a horrific sex crime and a resulting murder that was necessitated by that sexual abuse,” he told WCTV.

Campbell also revealed that they considered arresting Wiley last year despite lacking Paige’s body. However, they decided against it due to the possibility of Wiley selling Paige into sex trafficking.

Campbell told WCTV, “That was the question: Can we charge a murder when we don’t know she’s dead?”

Police searched Wiley’s car last February, two months before finding Paige’s body. They reportedly recovered various items, including a pistol, ammunition, and car cleaning fluid. They also claimed Paige’s blood was on carpet in the car despite Wiley having a cleaner specifically intended to clean blood. Police also noted that Wiley’s vehicle did not have floormats.

Police also seized Wiley’s phone last February. An analysis determined the device was used to search online for remote bodies of water in Alabama and Georgia.

“The biggest evidence in the case was his phone leading us to this plantation where her body was eventually found, which really doesn’t make any sense that he would be there at that time in that area other than him disposing of her body,” Campbell told WCTV.

Paige’s cause of death has not been disclosed.

[Feature Photo: Tallahassee police]