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Background: News footage of police outside Diane German”s home on Dec. 28, 2025 (WCJB). Inset (left): Michael Rowland (Ocala Police Department). Inset (right): Diane German (Facebook).
In Florida, a man faces arrest several months after dialing 911 to report his girlfriend’s lifeless body in her swimming pool.
Michael Rowland, aged 50, was taken into custody by the Ocala Police Department on Monday. The charges relate to the death of his 72-year-old girlfriend, Diane German. Rowland had initially contacted emergency services on the morning of December 28, 2025, claiming to have discovered German floating in her pool at her Ocala residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
As detectives delved deeper into the case of the well-known restaurant owner’s demise, they began to find discrepancies in Rowland’s account.
The arrest report, accessed by local ABC station WCJB, details Rowland’s narrative: he claimed to have discovered German in the pool and leapt in to pull her out. Initially, police noted water inside German’s house, which matched his description of events.
Nonetheless, investigators also uncovered an empty, drenched phone case in the garage. German’s phone, reportedly retrieved from Rowland’s van, was said to have been submerged. Yet upon inspection, the phone showed no evidence of water exposure, contradicting Rowland’s testimony.
A closer look at German’s phone revealed that all activity stopped around 9:30 p.m. the previous night, police said. The arrest report notes that Rowland was seen on surveillance cameras arriving at her house around the same time. After 9:30 p.m., German reportedly stopped responding to messages.
When investigators searched Rowland’s phone, they said they found an internet search for how to reset a video surveillance system.
The medical examiner found evidence that German had been strangled before she ended up in the water. Her death was ruled a homicide.
According to reporting by Ocala-based news outlet Ocala StarBanner, German owned the popular Wolfy’s Restaurant after a long career in the restaurant and catering businesses. She lost her husband in 2020 and leaves behind two adult children and a grandchild.
Friends and family told police that she and Rowland had been arguing and were breaking up, according to the arrest report. Police said Rowland denied that it was true.
Rowland was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, on Monday and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He will be extradited to Marion County to face charges. Court records did not list his next court date.