St. Pete Flooring Company Heir Arrested in Relation to Discovery of Body Last December

The discovery of a woman’s body almost exactly one full year ago resulted in the arrest of several suspects last week, including the heir to a major St. Petersburg flooring chain.

The remains of Tarpon Springs mother of three Taylor Anne McAllister were discovered on December 22 of last year in an alley in St. Petersburg by local authorities. Police say their investigation led them to believe that the 22-year-old was left there while still barely alive by Deonte Maurice Baker and Quran Maurice Archer, both of St. Petersburg as well.

Investigators say they traced the trail back to the Palm Harbor residence of Robert Henry Butler III. Butler, who is the son of the founder of Bob’s Carpet and Flooring, allegedly prevented Baker and Archer from returning the body of the now-deceased McAllister to Butler’s Cobb’s Landing home. However, according to authorities, Butler did allow the 35-year-old Baker and 25-year-old Archer to retrieve McAllister’s possessions in the home as well as allowing the duo to clean their truck.

Police have not clarified their suspicions as to the relationship between the 52-year-old Butler and McAllister. However, McAllister’s father revealed to local media that she had a drug addition, and that he believed Butler was facilitating that addiction prior to her death.

Butler was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on December 12 on one count of failure to report a death, one count of cannabis possession, and one count of felon in possession of ammunition. He was released the next day after posting a bond of $15,150.

Archer is also charged with failure to report a death. Details on his incarceration status were not available at the time of this writing. Baker was arrested the same day and charged with failure to report a death and money laundering. He was released two days later upon posting a bond of $20,150.

The Law Offices of Bjorn Brunvand have been representing people charged with capital murder, felony drug charges, drunk driving, government fraud, and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.