Duane "Dog" Chapman Says His Team Discovered Kathleen Moore

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — The body of Kathleen Moore, missing since Nov. 29, was recovered Tuesday in a wooded area in New Port Richey.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. The day before, Collin Knapp, Moore's boyfriend, was arrested and charged with second-degree homicide after the sheriff's office found a pair of pants and sheets stained with Moore's blood in a county landfill.

Upon his arrest, Knapp invoked his right to remain silent and refused to provide information on the whereabouts of Moore's body.

But around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, the sheriff's office received a call from a person who was searching the area and discovered the body, which was buried beneath a pile of thick brush about 50 yards northeast of Knapp's home at 7149 Carmel Ave. in the Seven Springs neighborhood.

Duane "Dog" Chapman, the bounty hunter who led a search for Gabby Petito's boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, a few weeks ago, said it was a member of his team who discovered the body.

Prior to the discovery, Nocco said detectives "relentlessly searched" the same area using K-9s, drones and line searches but did not find Moore's body.

"She was definitely covered on purpose so no one would find her. Even the detectives will tell you, when you were 2 feet away from her, it's hard to tell her body was there," Nocco said.

The sheriff's office also used a team of cadaver dogs specially trained to find bodies to search the area.

"But a lot of factors come into it — wind, the weather, decompensation," he said. "They did their best."

He added that the woods near Knapp's house wasn't the only focus of their search. Detectives also searched the dumpster near Walgreens where Moore's cell phone was found, the dumpster at Seltzer's Steakhouse where Knapp worked as a kitchen manager as well as other dumpsters in in the area.

In all, said Nocco, detectives searched 14 industrial-sized dumpsters and sifted through the garbage already dumped at the county landfill.

"It was a priority for us to search those dumpsters and make sure she was not in there," he said.

He commended the members of the public who joined the search, leading to the discovery of Moore's body.

"Everything works better when we work as a team," he said. "We got the call because citizens were out there to help us. We did that together, and together we're going to bring justice to Kathleen."

He said recovering her body was not only important to her family but is crucial in prosecuting Knapp, who remains silent.

Although an autopsy is pending, the body was confirmed to be Moore's based on her tattoos.

"Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Kathleen Moore," Nocco said. "We know you've been through a lot."

"Life of the party, great friend, we miss her," said friend Noelle Custodio. "We were kind of holding out hope, but now, well, it is closure. Now, she can come home, and we can do what we need to do."

Moore's best friend of 20 years, Nikki Wallen, posted an heartfelt message on her Facebook page.

"The memories we have over the past 20 years are more than you can ever imagine. We have never, ever lost touch, even when she was traveling state to state for work. I have always encouraged her to do whatever she wants in life, and she was just about to finish (this week) her phlebotomy course, so she could work in the hospital full-time and bartend part-time because she loves being around people," Wallen said. "She watched my kids grow up, and spoiled them every chance she got, helped me with the kids while I got through college, and made sure she saw me walk across that stage."

Wallen ended her tribute to her best friend with a plea to always cherish loved ones.

"The message I want everyone to pay attention to is never hold a grudge, especially when it is petty, because you never know when you will never see someone again," Wallen said. "When she left here Sunday night, I had no idea that was the last time I would ever see her, but we were on good terms and that’s a good feeling. I am going to miss her a lot."

Family and friends asked those attending Wednesday night's vigil to wear purple in honor of Moore and all other domestic violence victims.

Nocco ended Tuesday's news conference urging anyone in a domestic violence situation to get help.

"Domestic violence is never acceptable. If you or someone you know is being abused or threatened, there are resources available to help," he said.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

"Maybe the sacrifices she (Moore) went through was to save someone else," he said. "If there's anything positive to come out of this, we hope that's it."

See related stories:

• Boyfriend Of Kathleen Moore Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder
• Arrest Made In Kathleen Moore Missing Person Case