FL - Robert Lee Cooper and wife, Ariel Vanessa Prim found in burned out home, July 2018

[LadyL]

This couple was found dead in July but not positively identified until December. Investigators consider their deaths 'suspicious'.

Deaths of Florida couple called suspicious

 

[LadyL]

Reward and comments from Cooper's mother:

Reward offered for leads in 2018 fire deaths of couple

 

[LadyL]

Deaths of Florida couple called suspicious

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 18, 2018
Families, authorities seek clues in deaths of Ocala couple
The remains of the couple, who married in November 2015, were discovered the morning of July 28 at their burned out home at 4030 SE 84th Lane Road in the Paradise Springs subdivision.

A neighbor and her child, who were walking their dog that morning, saw smoke coming from the home and called 911. Firefighters had to cut the locks off a gate to get on to the property. The home was already destroyed by the fire.

Karen Cooper said DNA swabs were taken from family members on both sides to identify her son and daughter-in-law.

Prim’s mother, Lisa Weinmann, said she talked with her daughter, 29, on July 27. She said her daughter, an accomplished and award-winning equestrian in New York, was planning to sell a horse to friends from North Carolina on July 28. She said they arrived at her daughter’s residence and were greeted by firefighters and law enforcement.

Cooper and Prim met while playing a game online. They maintained a long distance friendship, with her in New York and him in Pasco County, Florida, that later became a romantic relationship.

Karen Cooper said her son, who was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, was a whiz with electronics. After their marriage, the couple moved to Marion County in 2016.

Both Prim and Cooper worked together with electronics, as Cooper was an independent contractor.

 

[PommyMommy]

Summary

1. The bodies of Prim, 29, and her husband, Cooper, 37, were discovered in their home at 4030 SE 84th Lane Road, Ocala, FL in the Paradise Springs subdivision on the morning of July 28, 2018.
2. The remains were confirmed by DNA on December 10, 2018
3. The Medical Examiner's Office has ruled the deaths as undetermined.
4. Both bodies are still at a Gainesville laboratory for more testing.
5. Detectives said the deaths are suspicious.
6. A neighbor and her child were walking her dog and saw smoke coming from the home. The neighbor called 911.
7. Firefighters had to cut the locks off a gate to get on to the property.
8. The home was already destroyed by the fire.
9. State fire officials have not yet concluded what caused the blaze.
10. Call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP with any information.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 8, 2019
House fire deaths called 'suspicious'
Through DNA evidence, it took a half-a-year for detectives to positively identify the fire victims as Robert Lee Cooper, 37, and Ariel Vanessa Prim, 29, because their bodies were so badly burned.

"These deaths are suspicious in nature, but there's not a concrete answer to what may have happened, what may have led up to this," said Lauren Lettelier, with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

 

[Gardener1850]

March 28, 2019

Florida couple discovered in burned home were murdered: Police

(OCALA, Fla.) — A Florida couple’s death was ruled a homicide on Thursday, nearly eight months after firefighters discovered their remains at the scene of their “burned to the ground” mobile home, authorities said.

Robert Cooper, 37, and his 29-year-old wife, Ariel Prim, were found dead in their burned mobile home in Ocala, Florida, located about 80 miles north of Orlando, last summer, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
<snip>
The medical examiner’s office had initially ruled their deaths to be of “undetermined causes,” but the office issued an update on Thursday, calling the case a homicide.

Police have not released any details about the possible causes of death. Officials are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.

“Detectives are now asking for the public’s help in revealing any information that may bring some clarity to the suspicious circumstances surrounding their deaths,” the sheriff’s office said.

Florida couple discovered in burned home were murdered: Police

 

[Robs mom]

Hello, I'm Robert's mother. I've believed they were murdered within days of the fire. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them.

 

[Tripod]

Hello, I'm Robert's mother. I've believed they were murdered within days of the fire. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them.

Welcome, Robs mom. It's a terrible loss you've been through, and I'm very sorry. It's suggested that you consider becoming a Verified Insider for your son's case here, and that way, you can comment and answer questions without having to post official links to mainstream media or law enforcement sources. I'm terrible at going to grab a link while keeping another page open, but the rules and info re: this are near the beginning of the WS page. You can always ask a mod for help, too
I do have some questions. One is that I presumed the fire was started right away after Rob and his wife died, but you sound as if you think it's possible some time had passed between their deaths and the fire?
Until you might become a verified insider, if you can post actual links to at least some info you have, that would be helpful

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Hello, I'm Robert's mother. I've believed they were murdered within days of the fire. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them.

Hi Robs mom. I am terribly sorry to read about Rob’s & Ariel’s passing. We appreciate your taking the time to post here. Here is the link to become verified. From what I understand it is a rather easy & quick process.

Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters

I look forward to reading your posts.

 

[Tripod]

Hi Robs mom. I am terribly sorry to read about Rob’s & Ariel’s passing. We appreciate your taking the time to post here. Here is the link to become verified. From what I understand it is a rather easy & quick process.

Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters

I look forward to reading your posts.

Thank you for posting the link, Blondie

 

[PayrollNerd]

Looking at the property on Zillow.com the listing states both roofs were metal and had lightening protection. That was a smart investment as the trees are so close to the home and storms prevelant in FL. This also means the fire was not likely started by lightening, which I’m sure they’ve already determined, since they believe it to be a homicide investigation. The home is located on acreage and near an elementary school. This leads me to think it is more a personal crime rather than random. I hope they took a lot of photos of the grounds immediately after the fire. If both gates were locked, someone was on foot.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4030-SE-84th-Lane-Rd-Ocala-FL-34480/45894961_zpid/

 

[TatianaBarbie]

This news article, dated March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

Florida couple discovered in burned home were murdered: Police

(OCALA, Fla.) — A Florida couple’s death was ruled a homicide on Thursday, nearly eight months after firefighters discovered their remains at the scene of their “burned to the ground” mobile home, authorities said.

Robert Cooper, 37, and his 29-year-old wife, Ariel Prim, were found dead in their burned mobile home in Ocala, Florida, located about 80 miles north of Orlando, last summer, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
<snip>
The medical examiner’s office had initially ruled their deaths to be of “undetermined causes,” but the office issued an update on Thursday, calling the case a homicide.

Police have not released any details about the possible causes of death. Officials are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.

“Detectives are now asking for the public’s help in revealing any information that may bring some clarity to the suspicious circumstances surrounding their deaths,” the sheriff’s office said.

Florida couple discovered in burned home were murdered: Police

That news article, dated March 28, 2019, also had a picture of the house that was burned to the groud:

 

[DropthePuck]

Moms of Ocala Couple Want Justice After Homicides, Fire

Contains more info about the couple. Ariel was an accomplished equestrian but had to stop competing after back surgery. When she was 17, she met Robert online while playing Final Fantasy XI. They married in Nov of 2015. They made a living as remote subcontractors, repairing computers and building IT networks. They loved animals and had 3 horses and 7 dogs. "Weinmann (Ariel's mom) grieves for the trauma suffered by her daughter’s three horses that, though they survived, witnessed the chaos from a nearby barn. Lexus, Cameron and Diva now live with Weinmann and her husband on their 40 acres." Four of the dogs perished in the fire. Of the 3 remaining dogs, 2 live with Robert's parents and 1 lives with Ariel's parents.

Such a tragic and mysterious case. I haven't seen anything about possible suspects. They seemed to live quiet lives tending to their animals and working at their computer business.

 

[Tripod]

Moms of Ocala Couple Want Justice After Homicides, Fire

Contains more info about the couple. Ariel was an accomplished equestrian but had to stop competing after back surgery. When she was 17, she met Robert online while playing Final Fantasy XI. They married in Nov of 2015. They made a living as remote subcontractors, repairing computers and building IT networks. They loved animals and had 3 horses and 7 dogs. "Weinmann (Ariel's mom) grieves for the trauma suffered by her daughter’s three horses that, though they survived, witnessed the chaos from a nearby barn. Lexus, Cameron and Diva now live with Weinmann and her husband on their 40 acres." Four of the dogs perished in the fire. Of the 3 remaining dogs, 2 live with Robert's parents and 1 lives with Ariel's parents.

Such a tragic and mysterious case. I haven't seen anything about possible suspects. They seemed to live quiet lives tending to their animals and working at their computer business.

Thank you for posting this. It is indeed a terrible mystery that has seemed too quiet in the public eye.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I wonder if LE has dug deep into their electronic data since they’re work was IT related. Perhaps they stumbled across something that wasn’t meant to be seen.

 

[Robs mom]

Welcome, Robs mom. It's a terrible loss you've been through, and I'm very sorry. It's suggested that you consider becoming a Verified Insider for your son's case here, and that way, you can comment and answer questions without having to post official links to mainstream media or law enforcement sources. I'm terrible at going to grab a link while keeping another page open, but the rules and info re: this are near the beginning of the WS page. You can always ask a mod for help, too
I do have some questions. One is that I presumed the fire was started right away after Rob and his wife died, but you sound as if you think it's possible some time had passed between their deaths and the fire?
Until you might become a verified insider, if you can post actual links to at least some info you have, that would be helpful

So we know that Rob was still alive during the fire as cause of death listed on long form death certificate was gun shot to the chest and smoke and soot in his lungs.