Barbara’s body was discovered in a secluded area of Flagler Estates, near the boundary between St. Johns County and Flagler County. Tolbert said she died from a single gunshot wound. Investigators have never found the firearm used in the killing or Barbara’s cell phone.
“The majority of the investigation is very circumstantial. It’s based on a lot of circumstantial evidence. There are some holes in the timeline that we would like to fill in. We still very much believe that Lilly has information about this investigation,” Tolbert said.
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Tolbert told First Coast News that Lilly was identified early on as a person of interest. Investigators later learned that Lilly and Barbara had argued about money in the days leading up to Barbara’s disappearance.
Tolbert said investigators believe the case may have stemmed from a sudden confrontation rather than a premeditated act. “Our investigative theory is that something happened, some type of disagreement, argument, not necessarily something planned, but something in the heat of the moment. And then there was a period of panic, ‘what do I do now?’ And there’s evidence on Barbara’s vehicle, in addition to the latent blood, that suggests that Barbara’s vehicle was used to move her body,” he explained.