TAYLOR COUNTY, Fla. — A missing Bradford County mother was found alive Monday morning in Taylor County, according to the Bradford County Sheriff's Office.
Melissa Infinger was removed from a Steinhatchee motel room by Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett. Her ex-boyfriend James Busbee shot himself in the head in the same room and later died, according to the Bradford County Sheriff's Office.
#BREAKING: Missing Bradford County mom Melissa Infinger has been located, deputies say. I'll have the latest details in a live report on CBS47 at Noon @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/DFIv0HZGJy
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) April 30, 2018
At 9 a.m., Bradford County detectives learned Busbee's vehicle was in the parking lot of the Steinhatchee River Inn in Steinhatchee.
The dealership where Busbee bought the vehicle was able to help deputies locate the vehicle, which had GPS on it.
Taylor County deputies responded to motel, entered the room that Infinger and Busbee rented and found them both alive, the Sheriff's Office said.
I just spoke with Melissa Infinger's parents. Her mom tells me she got to talk to her daughter on the phone after deputies rescued her. She told her mom: "I love you." then asked to talk to her son @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/jirsfzvckl
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) April 30, 2018
As deputies entered, Busbee armed himself with a 9-mm handgun as Padgett removed Infinger from the room.
After a brief standoff with deputies, Busbee shot himself in the head, according to the release. He was transported to an area hospital by helicopter, where he was pronounced dead.
Preliminary information gathered by detectives indicated that Infinger was taken at gunpoint by Busbee from her home early Saturday morning. After driving south toward Tampa, Infinger and Busbee diverted to Taylor County, where they stayed until deputies contacted them Monday morning.
Erin Clyburn, Infinger's mother, told Action News Jax about talking with her daughter by phone after authorities found her.
"She said, 'I love you,' then she had me hand the phone to her son, and she said 'I love you.' We didn’t talk about anything else, you know. Just I love you," Clyburn said.
Clyburn said she couldn't wait to be reunited with her daughter and that Infinger's family was headed to Taylor County get her.
"I'm going to hug her. I'm going to hug her and hug her and hug her," she said.
Brittney Donovan will have the latest updates on this story on the @ActionNewsJax Twitter account and on CBS47 Action News Jax at 5.
Cox Media Group
