Cape Coral man arrested in connection with skeletal remains found in 2015

A 51-year-old man is accused of killing his girlfriend in April 2015, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Michael J. Zutten, of Cape Coral, was arrested Thursday and faces charges of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 45-year-old Heather Lee Grimshaw, of East Naples, deputies said.

Grimshaw’s skeletal remains were found on April 29, 2015 in the Picayunne Strand State Forest, deputies said. Investigators believed the remains had been in place for at least four days.

Grimshaw wasn’t reported missing until Nov. 18, 2015 after Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip, deputies said. A finger print match determined the remains were those of Grimshaw in December 2015.

Zutten and Grimshaw had been living together in East Naples during the time of her disappearance, but he never reported her missing, deputies said. In April 2016, Grimshaw’s death was ruled as a  homicide, but the cause of death was undetermined.

“There was an enormous amount of work that went into this case to bring it to a successful conclusion,” said Sgt. Mark Williamson, of the CCSO Special Crimes Bureau. “We never stopped working this case.”

Zutten’s ex-wife, who asked to remain unidentified, doesn’t believe he would be capable of murder. She said she has known Zutten for 32 years.

“He can’t kill a cockroach, let alone a spider, a frog, forget it. A person? Definitely not,” Zutten’s ex-wife said.

But detectives discovered a rocky relationship between Zutten and Grimshaw. According to detectives, Grimshaw told a friend Zutten was physically and verbally abusive just days before she was killed.

Zutten’s ex-wife said he was out of town the weekend Grimshaw disappeared.

“They were planning on going on vacation the next week and his plans changed, so he came with me to go to Georgia,” Zutten’s ex-wife said.

Zutten is scheduled to appear in court at 2 p.m. Friday. His bond is set at $250,000.