BROWARD COUNTY, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Two men are in custody after Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies found a deceased man inside a vehicle parked at a boat ramp in unincorporated western Broward County, a case that investigators say began with a “suspicious vehicle” call and ended with first-degree murder arrests hundreds of miles away in Texas.
The death investigation centers on the West Broward Boat Ramp, located at 3451 North U.S. 27, a remote stretch near the edge of the county line west of the Everglades and accessible to South Florida drivers using the U.S. 27 corridor.
Broward Sheriff’s Office records show deputies responded to the boat ramp at 8:41 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, after receiving a report of a suspicious vehicle parked in the area. A deputy who checked the vehicle found a deceased adult male inside, triggering a response from BSO’s Homicide Unit and Crime Scene Unit.
Investigators identified the deceased man as Hunter Howell, 22, of Pembroke Pines. BSO said Howell’s body was taken to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office, where the manner of death was determined to be a homicide.
Detectives believe the homicide occurred a day earlier, on Saturday, Jan. 31, according to BSO.
Over the following days, BSO detectives worked the case and developed probable cause to arrest two 19-year-olds for the killing. The suspects were identified as Jayden DeJesus, 19, of Miami, and Trevon Quinones, 19, of Forney, Texas.
The arrests came on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, after deputies with the Kaufman County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office detained both suspects during a traffic stop, BSO said. The Broward Sheriff’s Office V.I.P.E.R. Unit — Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response — and the U.S. Marshals Office in Dallas assisted during the arrests, according to investigators.
BSO credited multiple agencies with investigative support as the case moved across jurisdictions. The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Miami Police Department provided assistance during the investigation, BSO said.
DeJesus and Quinones were booked into jail in Kaufman County on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, BSO said.
Both men are expected to be extradited to Broward County to face the criminal charges. Extradition is the process used to transfer a defendant from one jurisdiction to another for court proceedings and jail custody tied to a pending case. In this situation, the suspects are being held in Texas while Broward authorities work to bring them back to South Florida.
For residents in Broward and nearby Palm Beach County, the case is a reminder of how quickly a death investigation can shift from a local scene to a multi-agency manhunt once suspects leave the state. The key next step is the transfer of custody back to Broward, followed by first appearances and bond proceedings in the Broward court system once the men arrive.
Investigators have not released additional details about what led detectives to the suspects, what evidence was recovered, or how Howell was killed beyond the medical examiner’s homicide determination and the firearm allegation tied to the arrest charge. Those details often emerge later through court filings, probable cause documents, and hearings once defendants are back in the county where charges are filed.
Anyone with information tied to the homicide investigation is typically encouraged to contact the Broward Sheriff’s Office, though BSO did not include a public tip line in the information released with this case summary.
0 Comments