Private Investigator Taylor Wright First Missing Then Found Dead

Private Investigator Taylor Wright Reported Missing

On September 18, 2017, the Pensacola News Journal reported that the Pensacola Police Department had confirmed that the private investigator and former police officer, Taylor Ashley Wright was missing. She had been last seen on September 7, 2017.

Brian Muhlbach of Resource Investigative Services was quoted saying, “She allegedly texted a friend the day before disappearing stating that she needed to get away for a couple days and has not been heard from since.”

At that time the police department had ruled out foul play and believed she had disappeared on her own.

It was determined that Wright was going through a divorce and had placed $34,000 into the safety deposit box of Ashley McArthur though it is unknown or unreported how the two knew each other. Ashley McArthur previously worked as a crime scene technician for the Sheriff’s Office but had resigned in 2006.

Wright had previous conversations with her friend/roommate (not identified) that she had been trying to get her money back from McArthur but she wasn’t having any luck.

Wright met with McArthur on September 8, 2017. Wright and her friend had also been texting back and forth on September 8, 2017, until one point Wright stopped responding. Her friend called Wright and McArthur answered the phone and said that Wright was unavailable to come to the phone because she was riding a horse.

A text was later received by the friend from Wright’s phone stating that Wright needed some time to think and to get her life back on track.

On September 18, 2017, McArthur met the Pensacola Police. She indicated that she met with Wright on the morning of September 8, 2017, and they went on various errand runs which included going to McArthur’s family property to ride horses. She reportedly told police that she came out of her home to find that Wright was missing.

During the investigation, McArthur’s phone and bank records were pulled. Bank records showed on August 16, 2017, a cashier’s check was deposited for $34,000 into McArthur’s account and has since been spent.

Taylor Wright’s Remains Found

McArthurs phone records showed her not to be on her family property as she stated and was instead on a neighboring property. On that property, a grave site was located which was covered in concrete. Wright’s necklace was found with the remains of her body.

McArthur was arrested for the death of Wright. McArthur’s next court date is set for November 19, 2017.

Thoughts on This Terrible Crime

It was only a couple weeks after first hearing about how Taylor Wright was missing did I read articles related to this incident. A friend of Taylor Wright indicated in forums that she (Wright) was definitely missing. I remember it specifically because I asked that they share a picture of Wright which they later did.

Only time will tell whether they will find out what truly took place. Early indications seem as though the crime was money related.

I am happy that law enforcement pieced together what took place and I can only assume that when McArthur was interviewed that her lies started to fall apart the deeper law enforcement dug into her story.

With that being said, I think a lesson to take from the early part of this story is not to assume that there is no foul play or that someone isn’t lying. A Detective stated in the Pensacola News Journal that early initial false statements provided to law enforcement led them to believe that Wright left on her own. The Detective did not specify who provided those false statements.

No matter what you are investigating keep an open mind. With an open mind, you will still have the ability to see other information that you might not have considered if your mind was already made up.