Photos for Headline Surfer / Steven Bowman, 39, of Deltona, at right, is a 'person of interest' in the slaying of Rabbitt Burns, 51, of Orange City, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORANGE CITY, Fla. -- A 51-year-old woman found dead in her home Tuesday morning has been ruled a homicide victim, and Volusia County Sheriff's investigators have named a former co-worker of hers a "person of interest" in the slaying.
Investigators aren't yet releasing any details as to how Rabbitt Burns was killed, but they have named 39-year-old Deltona resident Steven Bowman as their person of interest, stopping short of calling him a suspect.
"Bowman was seen with the victim in the days leading up to the murder, and investigators believe he may have been one of the last persons to see Burns alive," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.
Bowman, whose last known permanent address was in Deltona, was arrested Wednesday by the Orange County Sheriff's Office on drug charges unrelated to Volusia County's murder investigation.
Following his arrest, Volusia investigators attempted to interview Bowman but he declined to talk to them, Davidson said. After obtaining a search warrant, Volusia investigators recovered a handgun while searching the room where Bowman had been staying at the Security Inn on West Colonial Drive in Orlando.
Following his arrest, Volusia investigators attempted to interview Bowman but he declined to talk to them, Davidson said. After obtaining a search warrant, Volusia investigators recovered a handgun while searching the room where Bowman had been staying at the Security Inn on West Colonial Drive in Orlando.
Bowman is being held in Orange County on charges of cocaine possession, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and contempt of court.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections website, Bowman spent 11 months in prison about a decade ago on an aggravated assault charge out of Lake County. He's also previously faced various other criminal charges in Orange and Lake counties.
Davidson said the Volusia County Sheriff's Office continues to process evidence and follow up on leads developed in the homicide investigation, including an inspection of the victim's car, a 2003 PT Cruiser, which was recovered in Orlando on Wednesday and towed to the Sheriff's Office in DeLand.
Crime scene technicians were processing the vehicle on Thursday.
The victim's body was found in her West Fern Drive home by two co-workers from the DeBary Public Library after she didn't show up for work.
Burns and Bowman worked together during the 1990s at the DeLand Beacon, a weekly newspaper.
Burns is Volusia County's first homicide victim of the new year.
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About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.