A Florida man is now in custody following accusations of murdering a woman and abandoning her body on a well-visited beach the day after Christmas.

Brandon Ward McCray, 28, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals and Hollywood Police Department on December 30, 2025. He faces charges of sexual battery, kidnapping, battery, and battery by strangulation, according to police records accessed by Fox News Digital.

Authorities were alerted to the presence of a body on the sands of Hollywood Beach—about 15 miles from Fort Lauderdale Beach—around 7 a.m. on December 26, 2025, as reported by WPLG. The deceased was identified as 56-year-old Heather Asendorf, and she was declared dead at the scene.

McCray faces charges in Broward County, Florida, including sexual battery, kidnapping, battery, and battery by strangulation, according to police documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. (Broward County Sheriff’s Office)

Witnesses later informed NBC Miami that the body was covered with a white blanket, and there was a trail of blood from the remains.

Officials did not release details regarding Asendorf’s cause of death, but previously stated that foul play was suspected. 

Additionally, detectives believe McCray and Asendorf knew each other prior to the alleged murder, according to WSVN.

Authorities reportedly allege Brandon Ward McCray murdered 56-year-old Heather Asendorf after her body was found on Hollywood Beach in Hollywood, Florida on Dec. 26, 2025. (iStock)

“This case remains an active criminal investigation,” Hollywood police said in a news release. “There is no indication of a broader threat to the community.”

McCray was previously charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2023 after allegedly brandishing a gun at a tow truck driver as his vehicle was being repossessed, according to NBC Miami.

Officials reportedly did not release details regarding Heather Asendorf’s cause of death, but previously stated that foul play was suspected. (iStock)

He was taken into custody at his nearby home and booked into the Broward County Main Jail on $770,000 bond, WPLG reported. 

The Hollywood Police Department and McCray’s attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.