COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL — A 19-year-old Columbia County man is facing a murder charge after deputies say his girlfriend was found dead early Thursday morning inside a home on NW Moore Road. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office says the case is being treated as a domestic violence-related killing.
Deputies responded at about 4:19 a.m. after a 911 call reported a deceased woman. The caller, identified by investigators as the victim’s boyfriend, Isaiah Campbell, let deputies into the home. Campbell told dispatchers that Nicole Lopez, 21, had fallen during a physical altercation, hit her head and was no longer breathing.
Emergency medical workers pronounced Lopez dead shortly after deputies arrived. Detectives later said their investigation pointed to a violent confrontation between the two earlier that night.
Investigators say Lopez suffered blunt force injuries and stab wounds
According to detectives, the early explanation given on the 911 call did not match what they found as the investigation moved forward. Deputies said Lopez had blunt force injuries and stab wounds that were sustained during a physical altercation with Campbell.
Officials have not released additional details about the sequence of events inside the home or what led up to the confrontation. Campbell was detained at the scene, interviewed by detectives and then arrested on a murder charge.
He was booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility and a judge ordered him held without bond. The sheriff’s office has not said whether any other people were inside the residence when deputies arrived, beyond the caller who let them in.
Arrest comes after another deadly case in Columbia County hours earlier
Thursday’s killing came about 12 hours after a separate homicide in Columbia County, according to the sheriff’s office. That earlier incident happened at about 4 p.m. Wednesday and involved a 16-year-old girl who was found shot to death in an apartment after deputies went there for a well-being check.
Deputies said they entered through an unlocked door after making several announcements and found Ashia Moore lying on the floor with a gunshot wound. The sheriff’s office said Moore was seven months pregnant and had been visiting friends at the apartment before she was killed.
Moore died from her injuries. Her 17-year-old boyfriend, described by deputies as a person of interest, was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence.
Sheriff’s office says domestic violence can affect anyone
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office used the two killings to underscore the danger of domestic violence and the way abuse can escalate when it is not addressed. Investigators said domestic violence can affect anyone regardless of age, background or circumstance.
In a statement, the office said no one has to face domestic violence alone and that reaching out for help is never a sign of weakness. The sheriff’s office also directed people in abusive relationships or unsafe situations to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, available 24 hours a day by phone or text.
Local help is also available through Another Way, Inc., a support organization listed by the agency for people seeking assistance in the area.
Help lines and local resources are being shared with the public
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE, or 7233, and people can also text START to 88788. Another Way, Inc. can be reached at (866) 875-7983, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials are also asking anyone with information about the Campbell case to contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office at (386) 719-2005. People who want to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers of Columbia County at (386) 754-7099 or visit columbiacrimestoppers.net.
The sheriff’s office said community tips can help investigators continue to build the case, especially in violent incidents that unfold quickly and leave few immediate answers.
What deputies say happened on NW Moore Road
Deputies say the 911 call came in just after 4 a.m., setting off an investigation that quickly shifted from a reported medical emergency to a homicide case. Campbell was the person who opened the door to deputies and who gave the initial account of what happened inside the home.
Investigators later concluded that Lopez’s injuries were the result of an assault, not an accidental fall. With Campbell now charged and held without bond, the case remains centered on what happened during the confrontation that night and how the violence escalated.
The sheriff’s office has not announced any further arrests in connection with the death of Lopez.
