The man named Joseph L. Davis gave the wrong names to both his girlfriends and lied to them in numerous other ways.
When someone we trust cheats, lies, and betrays us, it can hurt a lot. We hope that our partners would have our back and instead if they stab us in the back, it can leave us with anger and frustration. One man in Florida ended up fooling two women he was seeing and manipulated them to believe that they were the only ones in his life.
One of them thought he was going to marry her, but instead, she found out that he didn't just cheat but also stole from her. Joseph L. Davis, 48, of Florida, went by "Joe Brown" with one girlfriend and "Marcus Brown" with the other, said the Volusia Sheriff's office. There is an arrest warrant against him for stealing an engagement ring and wedding bands from his girlfriend in Orange City and using them to propose to his other girlfriend in Orlando. He is wanted on a felony charge of grand theft. But, his current address and whereabouts are unknown.
Earlier in 2021, the girlfriend from Orange City told the detectives that "she discovered her boyfriend was actually engaged to someone else. When she looked up the fiancée’s Facebook page, she noticed a photo of her wearing a wedding band and engagement ring that was identical to her own, from a prior marriage. When she went to check her jewelry box, she discovered her rings were missing. So were several other pieces of jewelry, including a diamond ring that belonged to her grandmother. The total value of property stolen was about $6,270."
She then confronted him about the thefts and also started talking to the fiancée. She was able to get some of her belongings back, and then both of them dumped him for his infidelity. The two women started cooperating with each other and with detectives. The Orlando fiancée told detectives that he took her to the Orange City "girlfriend’s house while she was at work, claiming the house was his, and asking her to move in with him. She told detectives she packed up her apartment, disassembled her furniture, and was ready to move until one day, he told her the deal fell through."
She reported a stolen laptop and jewelry after he moved out and disappeared from their lives. Both the women met him on the same dating app, OKCupid, in 2015 and 2016. However, neither of them knew his real name. Even when detectives looked through databases and shared his photos with other law enforcement agencies, nothing came up.
Eventually, the fiancée remembered the name and address of a niece that Joseph had in North Carolina. Detectives were able to find the woman, who turned out to be his sister. Through her, they matched photos of him with the ones provided by the victims.
The 48-year-old man has a record as a convicted felon out of Oregon and North Carolina and has an active arrest warrant out of Oregon for a hit and run crash with injuries. His prior arrests include possession of fictitious ID, filing a false police report, domestic assault, and possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Through one of his out-of-state booking records from 2014, the detectives found that he has a tattoo described as a cross with the words "Only God can judge me" on his left arm. The tattoo was identical to the one both victims described their boyfriend/fiancée as having.
He is now at large and the Volusia Sheriff’s Office is requesting people to contact them at 386-668-3830 and ask for Detective Wheeler. If you wish to remain anonymous and qualify for a potential cash reward, you can contact Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-TIPS, or via the P3 Tips app.
References:
https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaSheriff/posts/3869871869718653
Cover Image Source : Facebook | Photo by Volusia Sheriff's Office
