Daughter wants answers in father’s death in Lehigh Acres

Investigators say a man’ body was left inside a storage unit for days, but the sheriff’s office has not confirmed key details yet.

The daughter of 66-year-old Vincent Smith says her father is dead, but Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the State Attorney’s have not confirmed this with her or the public Friday.

LCSO responded to an Extra Space Storage facility in Lehigh Acres recently, where a man’s body was found.

On the phone, Smith’s daughter said she is angry her father is dead, and she’s angry because the sheriff’s office has not confirmed her father is dead, let alone that he was killed by someone.

Questions remain for the investigation into Smith’s death.

We were at the courthouse in Lee County Friday morning when suspect Charlon Grey had his first court hearing related several charges connected to activity that connects him to the scene at Extra Space Storage.

It’s confirmed Grey is being held in a straitjacket at Lee County Jail and faces charges for kidnapping, aggravated battery and battery on a person older than 65.

In court, we learned Grey is also at the center of a death investigation. The prosecutor said Grey kidnapped a man from a home and took him to a storage unit in Lehigh Acres. Three days later, a man was found dead. This lines up with what Smith’s daughter understands about her father’s death.

The sheriff’s office and state attorney will not confirm why Grey doesn’t presently face charges for a homicide.

We asked Rich Kolko, WINK News Safety & Security Specialist, who spent years investigating cases for the FBI, about his thoughts for this investigation.

“In a case like this one, it’s very possible that there may be evidence out there, other people that they want to talk to, that aren’t aware of what happened yet,” Kolko said. “So in that kind of investigation, law enforcement will want to keep it as quiet as possible.”

Smith’s daughter did not want to talk on camera, but told us she wants answers. She claims the sheriff’s office hasn’t confirmed to her family that her father is dead or that someone was arrested in connection with his death.

Smith’s daughter also said she doesn’t know how the suspect knew her father.

The medical examiner said the manner of Smith’s death was homicide, but the cause remains undetermined.

According to Grey’s arrest report, surveillance video shows Grey with Smith entering the storage facility last Sunday. Thirty minutes later, Grey is seen leaving the facility in Lehigh Acres alone.

When deputies arrested Grey, he told them he blacks out when he gets violent and does not remember what happened.