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Son charged after father's body found buried behind Lake County home

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The son of a man whose body was found buried in the back yard of a Lake County home over the weekend has been charged with second-degree murder.

Jesse Jordan was charged after his father's body was found buried off North Lake Drive in the Mid Florida Lakes retirement community on Sunday.

Deputies said cadaver dogs were able to detect 63-year-old Jesse Wachter's body, which had been covered with fresh mulch.

According to investigators, neighbors became concerned after Wachter had not been seen since Nov. 19.

A neighbor called 911 Saturday night when they said they saw Jordan, and his girlfriend, Jessica Thigpen, loading up Wachter's belongings onto a trailer.

Deputies stopped the couple as they were leaving the neighborhood. Officials said the pair, both 28, admitted to being drug addicts and were arrested on multiple drug charges.

Thigpen is still in custody on the initial drug charges but has not been charged in Wachter's death. The investigation is still active and additional charges are possible, authorities said.

According to the arrest affidavit, Jordan and Thigpen gave inconsistent statements to detectives.

Detectives said autopsy results and evidence collected from the scene also played a huge role in upping the charges against Jordan.

Family members told Channel 9 Wachter raised Jordan as a single father.

Jordan's sister, Amanda Jordan, told Channel 9 her brother has battled addiction problems but she thought he was clean and on the road to recovery.

"I'm still in shock. I'm heartbroken over it," she said. "I never would think that my brother would be this type of person. Well, no matter what happens, we love him."

She said she wishes the family could've gotten her brother into rehab before the tragedy.

"I forgive him because addiction is a disease," she said.

Investigators have not released the cause of death.