Report reveals woman was dead under suspect’s bed 8 years before he was accused of killing co-worker
Action News Jax learns more about the circumstances surrounding the 2017 murder of Autumn Van Camp, who was found dead of asphyxiation at Jason Guthrie’s home.
Guthrie now He was accused of killing his colleague October 30 is my first day working a temporary job at the Anheuser-Busch Plant.
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Eight years ago, he was the only suspect named in the murder investigation into Van Camp’s death.
A homicide investigation report obtained by Action News Jax revealed that Van Camp was found dead not only in Guthrie’s home, but literally under his bed.
“He loved helping people. He loved his children,” Van Camp’s daughter, Summer Pace, said in an interview with Action News Jax.
Guthrie was never charged in Van Camp’s death.
The JSO homicide report listed the case as “exceptionally cleared” after the State Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the case due to the man’s “mental health condition,” according to the report.
According to the FBI“Exceptionally cleared” means that law enforcement identified the offender but encountered a situation beyond law enforcement’s control that prohibits the agency from arresting, charging, and prosecuting the offender.
“Just because he’s not famous or anything like that doesn’t mean his life is any less valuable and doesn’t deserve justice of any kind,” Pace said.
In a statement sent Tuesday by the State Attorney’s Office, a spokesperson disputed the reason charges were not pursued, instead saying it was because “the evidence did not meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”
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The 48-page murder investigation report also reveals that Guthrie claimed to have served in the Navy as a construction worker and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
After being honorably discharged, he was apparently shot in the head, after which family members told investigators his mental health rapidly deteriorated, according to the report.
He was arrested the day before Van Camp’s body was found under Guthrie’s bed, and Baker took action after attacking his father with a lanyard consistent with the gun police believe was used to kill Van Camp.
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He was sent to a state mental health facility while the State’s Attorney’s Office pursued charges related to the attack on Guthrie’s father.
The homicide report revealed that while there, Guthrie attacked another patient “in a manner similar to the murder of Van Camp.”
Guthrie was also accused and convicted of stabbing a man outside a liquor store in 2020 after being released from the hospital.
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He was sent back to the hospital where he remained until he was convicted of stabbing and assaulting his father in 2024.
He was released on time after the judge gave a lighter sentence than the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office requested.
Now, with Guthrie facing second-degree murder charges nearly a year after his last release, Pace is praying for justice for his mother and Guthrie’s latest alleged victim.
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“And I hope that something like ‘this person shouldn’t be out in public’ will stick or we’ll see a trend, because it would be really sad to see him slip through the cracks again,” Pace said.
The State Attorney’s Office stated that Van Camp’s case is not closed on its end.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to achieving justice in this case and protecting the safety of our community,” a spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office said in a statement sent to Action News Jax on Wednesday.
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