On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes Detective Jason Williams arrested 17-year-old Caden Speight on multiple charges, including Presenting False Evidence, Shooting into a Conveyance, Making a False Report of a Crime, and Possession of a Firearm by a Minor.
The investigation began on September 25, when deputies responded to the 12800 block of SW Highway 484 in Dunnellon after Speight texted his family claiming he had been shot. His Life360 app showed that location as his last known whereabouts. When deputies arrived, they found the truck Speight had been driving—but he was nowhere to be found.
A large search effort was launched involving MCSO and several assisting agencies. Investigators discovered what appeared to be a bullet hole in the truck’s windshield, suspected blood, Speight’s destroyed cellphone, drag marks, and bicycle tracks leading away from the scene.
Detectives later determined that Speight had staged the entire incident, firing a gun into his own vehicle, splattering a mixture of blood inside, and then destroying his phone before fleeing the area on a bicycle with camping gear he had recently purchased from Walmart. An eyewitness also reported seeing him riding away from the area on a bike.
Further investigation revealed that Speight had previously mentioned wanting to run away. Detectives also found online searches on his laptop related to how to collect blood without causing pain and Mexican cartels.
The following day, on September 26, Williston Police Department officers located Speight at a residence on West Noble Avenue in Williston. He was found with a handgun and the same bicycle in his possession. Authorities said he attempted to continue his deception, despite suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg that shattered his femur and required medical treatment.
After completing their investigation, MCSO detectives obtained a warrant for Speight’s arrest. He was taken into custody and transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
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