POLK COUNTY, Fla. – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has made significant strides in the investigation surrounding the tragic homicide of 21-year-old Ethan Fussell. In a recent development, detectives have arrested and charged two additional suspects – Crystal Droweingo and Autumn Thomas – for their alleged involvement in the case.
On June 3rd and 4th, 2024, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office took Crystal Droweingo and Autumn Thomas into custody, respectively. Droweingo, a 23-year-old resident of Lakeland, was charged with giving false information to law enforcement during a capital felony (F3) and tampering with evidence (F3).
The following day, she faced an additional charge of accessory after the fact of a capital felony (F1).
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Autumn Thomas, a 25-year-old also from Lakeland, was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail on June 4th, 2024. She was charged with giving false information to a law enforcement officer during a capital felony (F3), tampering with a witness (F3), and accessory after the fact of a capital felony (F1).
Detectives confirmed that Crystal Droweingo was present at Talon Page’s house on Driggers Road on the night Ethan Fussell disappeared. Autumn Thomas, on the other hand, initially denied being at the same location but was later proven to have been there as well.
As the investigation progressed, detectives uncovered a concerning pattern of lies and cover-up attempts by the two women. Autumn Thomas lied about her whereabouts during the critical time frame, and she also contacted others, urging them to provide false information to the detectives. Furthermore, she assisted Talon Page in evading law enforcement, knowing that they were searching for him.
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Crystal Droweingo, Adonai Rivera’s girlfriend, claimed to have been asleep when Ethan was killed by Talon and Adonai. However, the evidence retrieved by detectives contradicts her statement, confirming that she was not asleep and was actively involved in the cover-up of Ethan’s death through her continuous lies to the investigators.
The investigation took a significant turn when detectives reviewed new video evidence obtained through search warrants. This video footage, which was previously requested and eventually delivered to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, shows Talon Page severely beating Ethan Fussell inside his Driggers Road home. The carpet, which was later removed and disposed of by the two main suspects, is clearly seen stained with Ethan’s blood.
During a search warrant executed on May 15th, 2024, detectives discovered that the carpet in Talon’s home had several large pieces missing, and a carpet cleaner in the residence contained blood residue that matched Ethan’s DNA. This physical evidence corroborates the timeline, with the video being time-stamped just 18 minutes after Ethan’s last text message to his girlfriend, where he stated he was going to sleep at that house.
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Talon Page and Adonai Moran-Rivera, the two primary suspects in the case, were initially arrested and charged with accessory after the fact in a capital felony (F1) and tampering/destroying evidence (F3) on June 2nd, 2024. However, on June 4th, 2024, they were both additionally charged with first-degree murder, a life felony, and two counts of tampering/destroying evidence (F3).
As the investigation continues, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is still seeking the public’s assistance in locating Ethan Fussell’s body and providing any relevant information that could aid in the case.
Sheriff Grady Judd emphasized the importance of the community’s involvement, stating, “We still need the public’s help to find Ethan’s body and return him home to his grieving family. Please contact Heartland Crime Stoppers – you will remain totally anonymous and get a cash reward.”
Heartland Crime Stoppers offers a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in a homicide investigation.
That reward will also apply to any information regarding the whereabouts of Ethan Fussell’s body and/or the 2000 silver Lexus 400 with FL tag CC02IL.
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