Thursday, February 26th, 1987, a friend called the Schofields, saying that he had seen Michelle’s car at exit 44 on Interstate 4. At 11:30 that night, the Schofields and the sheriff’s deputies gathered at the vehicle. They found the back hatch unlocked, the rear speakers missing and bits of hair stuck in the rear panel. The Schofields and the authorities mounted a search in the area and on Friday at 1:30 PM, Leo’s father found her body. She had been stabbed 26 times and dumped in the canal.
On June 24th, 1988, Leo Schofield was arrested and charged with Michelle’s murder.
“I was incredulous. Nothing in my personal history prepared me for the stain on my personhood that was immediately felt when I was accused of killing the girl I loved.” – Leo Schofield
Despite the copious amounts of blood, the tire tracks, and footprints at the canal where Michelle’s body was found, Leo’s trailer was declared by investigators to be the scene of the crime. The prosecution maintained that Leo and Michelle had gone back to their home around 1:30 AM, at which point Leo stabbed Michelle 26 times, carried her body out to their shared vehicle and dumped her out in the canal.
