REPORT: Cassie Carli’s autopsy released, not ruled homicide

PELL CITY, Ala. (WSMV) - Officials released the autopsy report of Cassie Carli, a woman who went missing earlier this year.

The final autopsy report lists both Carli’s cause of death and manner of death as “undetermined,” the St. Clair County Coroner’s Office told WFLA on Monday.

According to the report obtained by WFLA, the cause of death was believed to be the only obstacle preventing Santa Rosa prosecutors in Florida from charging Marcus Spanevelo, Carli’s ex-boyfriend and father to their young daughter, with murder. However, forensic teams in Alabama could not determine how Carli died between the coroner and the ADFS laboratory work conducted over six months in Huntsville.

In early April, Spanevelo was arrested by Tennessee Highway Patrol in Lebanon for allegedly tampering with evidence, giving false information concerning a missing person investigation, and destruction of evidence.

The surprising ruling on Carli’s manner of death as “undetermined” rather than definitively establishing it as a homicide now yields massive questions on the case and whether investigators can prove Spanevelo is connected to Carli’s death.

Carli went missing after meeting Spanevelo for a custody exchange of their 4-year-old daughter on March 27 in Navarre — spurring a massive search effort by law enforcement, local volunteers, and Carli’s family and friends. A week later, the 37-year-old’s remains were discovered in Alabama.

Spanevelo was extradited to Florida since being caught in Tennessee and is now in custody in the Santa Rosa County Jail.

“[Spanevelo] was totally uncooperative. He never cooperated with us, and that goes a long way,” Johnson said on April 3. “It’s your baby’s mother, and she’s missing, and you’re not going to cooperate with authorities? That’s kind of tell-tale.”

Spanevelo’s trial was scheduled to begin this week before being suddenly postponed on Monday. The trial, starting with jury selection, is now slated to begin on Oct. 17.