KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Kissimmee Police Department has reclassified the investigation into the death of a 71-year-old man as a homicide.
Officers responded around 10:15 a.m. Thursday to the 1500 block of Heather Way after receiving a report of a person with apparent injuries. When officers arrived, they found the victim, Charles Harper, dead at the scene.
As detectives continued investigating, they determined Harper’s vehicle had been taken from the scene after his death. The vehicle was later recovered by the Altamonte Springs Police Department.
According to court records, Investigators in Altamonte Springs later found 32-year-old Nicolas Lopez driving Harper’s truck during a traffic stop in their city.
Lopez appeared in court Thursday on charges including resisting an officer without violence and providing a false ID to law enforcement.
According to the Altamonte Springs police report, after Lopez was booked into jail, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office contacted Altamonte Springs Police about Kissimmee’s homicide investigation.
The report says Harper’s cellphone was pinging in the area where officers had stopped Lopez, but police have not identified Lopez as a suspect in the homicide investigation.
Investigators have not released additional details about how Harper died or identified any suspects. The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.
Detectives are asking anyone who saw Harper’s vehicle after 10:15 a.m. Thursday, June 25, or anyone who has information related to the case, contact the Kissimmee Police Department at 407-846-3333.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.