Help Hope Yates Overcome Tragic Loss

Hello my name is Erin Forrester and I’m trying to help raise funds for my sweet friend Hope Yates who tragically lost her mother.

MISSING PERSON INVESTIGATION TURNS INTO DISCOVERY OF DOUBLE HOMICIDE IN HERNANDO AND CITRUS COUNTIES

On May 12, 2024, Jamie Macdonald was reported missing to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) by family members, who had not seen her since April 27, 2024.

Over the next several days, HCSO detectives followed up on multiple leads, hoping to locate Macdonald. At that time, Citrus County residents 32-year-old Luequita Sclesky and her husband, 38-year-old Duane David Sclesky, became persons of interest in her disappearance.

On May 20, the HCSO contacted the Citrus County Sheriff's Office for assistance with the case. They wanted to interview the potential suspects at their residence at 3077 West Tanager Court in Lecanto. Both Scleskys provided various contradictory accounts of Macdonald's whereabouts.

While speaking with the Sclesky's at their home, evidence was collected that led detectives from both agencies to a wooded area within Hernando County, where they located a deceased subject, later determined not to be the missing woman in question but an unidentified male subject.

The deceased male subject was later identified as 68-year-old Kenneth Zickendrath, who, although determined to have been deceased for more than a year, was never reported missing.

CCSO continued to search areas of concern within Citrus County for Macdonald, but all searches yielded negative results.

During the investigation, HCSO Detectives were able to prove the Sclesky's were utilizing both Zickendrath's and Macdonald's bank accounts at numerous locations across Citrus County and Hernando County.

On June 14, HCSO established probable cause to arrest Lequita Sclesky for fraud and Duane with a traffic infraction and various drug offenses.

Further information received on Friday, June 14, led detectives with both agencies to a creek in Homosassa, where detectives located a second body, later identified as Macdonald.

Both suspects were interviewed at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, with CCSO Major Crimes Detectives observing the interviews, and the Sclesky’s were charged as follows:

LUEQUITA MATTRICE SCLESKY

o Principle to 1st Degree Murder

o Misuse of Personal Identification of a Deceased Person – 75 counts

o Fraudulent use of a Credit Card

o Unlawful Use of Two-Way Communication Device

o Additional Charge - Citrus County – Principle to 1st Degree Murder

DUANE DAVID SCLESKY

o 1st Degree Murder

o Trafficking in Fentanyl

o Possession of Paraphernalia/Various Narcotics

o Additional Charge - Citrus County –1st Degree Murder

"Think about these victims; they may have lived a high-risk lifestyle, but they did not deserve to die like this," said Sheriff Prendergast. "While there is no evidence at this time of other victims, if anyone out there has missing loved ones who were known associates of the Sclesky's, do not hesitate to reach out to CCSO or HCSO to report your concerns."

Both suspects are being held at the Hernando County Detention Center without bond. Further charges are pending.

#CCSO #JointInestigation #HCSO

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