BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A jury found a man guilty on Monday of burning and dismembering a woman in a well-known, undeveloped part of Brevard County.

Daniel Stearns was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2023 death of 44-year-old Nancy Howery who was shot and then burned and dismembered.

[VIDEO: Man arrested after woman’s remains found in Palm Bay]

Investigators said Howery was reported missing from Indian Harbour Beach on Feb. 18, 2023, after she did not show up to pick up her children from school. Indian Harbor police began investigating the disappearance, but ultimately contacted the sheriff’s office to takeover the investigation when Howery’s car was found abandoned in Palm Bay, according to the police chief.

Investigators said they determined Stearns and Howery were in a relationship and had been in an argument on Feb. 15, which was the last day she was seen alive.

During their investigation, deputies observed Stearns leaving his Palm Bay home and traveling to “The Compound” — an unfinished development straddling Palm Bay and unincorporated Brevard County — where he was caught disposing of evidence, according to a news release.

Investigators said they then found human remains, believed to be Howery, at several locations around “The Compound.”

Deputies said they believe Stearns shot Howery following the Feb. 15 argument and then dismembered and burned her body over the next several days before burying her remains in at least five locations.

After his conviction, Stearns faces life in prison.