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A woman from the United Kingdom who was reported missing after traveling to the United States has been found dead in Florida. A Florida man has been arrested in her death.
According to records, the woman allegedly met the man on a website and was looking for someone to apparently torture and ultimately kill her.
Authorities identified the woman as Sonia Exelby. Her body was found buried in a shallow grave at a home in Marion Oaks, one week after she boarded a flight to Florida, officials said.
Dwain Hall has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in Exelby’s death.
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Officials: The two met on a fetish website
The backstory:
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said the U.K. woman, who was experiencing mental health issues, apparently posted on a fetish website that she was looking for someone to abuse her.
A Florida man, Dwain Hall, allegedly took her up on the offer, officials said.
It’s a case former detective Jamie Copenhaven called bizarre and unthinkable.
“I have been in this business 30-plus years,” he said. “I have never heard anything close to [this].”
Dwain Hall’s arrest
Hall was arrested in October for allegedly using Exelby’s credit cards. He has since been charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder related to her death.
A judge denied Hall bond at his first appearance earlier this week.
“Under these circumstances, that there is no bond that would assure your presence in court, keep the community safe. And the facts of this case – there is a large amount of evidence against you,” said Judge Laurie Cotton.
How authorities have connected Hall to Exelby
According to the arrest affidavit, Hall initially denied knowing Exelby and then provided inconsistent stories about how they met, knew each other, and how much they hung out.
However, police said they had several records and evident showing Hall and Exelby were together.
License plate readers picked up Hall’s car when he picked Exelby up from the airport in Gainesville on October 10. Investigators said bank records and surveillance video show he bought a gun cleaner, rope, and a shovel right beforehand.
The two of them then traveled to an Airbnb that the platform shows and bank records confirm Exelby had reserved in Reddick. Inside the Airbnb, investigators found several items they were able to link to Hall through bank records and surveillance. That included the rope he had purchased before picking her up, and multiple food items.
Investigators said bank records and surveillance also show Hall purchasing a shovel, which they later found in his home with both his and Exelby’s DNA on it. They found a label of the same brand of shovel at the site where Exelby was buried.
They said they have bank records showing Hall’s business charging Exelby’s bank card. They said they found a video on his phone showing Exelby covered in bruises, and messages from Exelby’s phone telling a friend she’s in pain and expressing regret.
Recorded jail phone calls include audio of Hall telling his wife to look out for a package from a friend of theirs in six months. They found Facebook messages he sent from jail to that friend in Ohio regarding that package, which detectives went to retrieve. Inside it, they found a knife with Exelby’s blood on it.
What we know about Sonia Exelby
A friend of Exelby’s told FOX 35’s Marie Edinger she studied music in college.
Her boyfriend told investigators she had mental health struggles. He posted online frantically asking for help finding her after reporting her missing.
Law enforcement in the UK said Exelby had tried to hire someone to kill her in 2024, but the attempt was thwarted, and she got treatment instead.
What we know about suspect, Dwain Hall
Hall was the owner of a company called Solverwolf Roadside Assistance. That area code links back to Canton, Ohio, where Hall had been adjudicated guilty in the past of disorderly conduct and fishing without a license.
He has lived in Ocala for the past three years or so, but he was in Tallahassee for three years before that.
FOX 35’s Marie Edinger talked with a former neighbor of his who reported him to Tallahassee Animal Services for leaving his dog outside through hurricanes and freezing temperatures. She asked not to be named, worried about her safety. Hall posted publicly online, angry at her for the expensive fine he got as a result of her call.
“Thinking of somebody that you came across in life killing somebody else that’s just, I don’t know, it’s very shocking,” she told FOX 35.
That neighbor mentioned he and his wife share a son. Hall told investigators his wife is terminally ill. He’s also posted about that on social media. He told the judge his wife and mother-in-law both live in the area.
FOX 35’s Marie Edinger reached out to his wife but has not yet heard back.
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In his original arrest affidavit for fraud back in October, he stated he is married and lists his wife’s name and phone number. In his November arrest, he marked himself as single. He also changed his religion from Pagan to Christian in those arrest reports.
The investigative timeline: Records
Timeline:
New documents detail the events leading up to Exelby’s death and allegations by authorities.
October 10
- 5:47 p.m. Hall purchases paracord, gun cleaner, rope, and Lume Spray at Walmart in Gainesville. He returns a few minutes later to buy a shovel.
- 6:30 p.m. Hall picks Exelby up from the airport and the two drive to the Airbnb Exelby reserved.
October 11
- 9:20 a.m. to 12:06 p.m. Hall goes through a drive-through at Dunkin’ Donuts in Gainesville and purchases a drink later found inside Airbnb. Hall makes a purchase at Dollar General in Reddick, 3.5 miles from Airbnb. Hall purchased a sandwich and strawberries from Petro Gas Station in Reddick, which was later found discarded at Airbnb.
- 1:10 p.m. Hall used his business to charge Exelby’s bank card $1,200 after multiple failed transactions on a separate card of hers.
- 3:30 p.m. A neighbor observes a car with “emergency roadside” written on it parked at AirBnb. Hall owns an emergency roadside business and the vehicle description matches his; Hall records video of Exelby, showing her with cuts and bruises across her face and body, and urges her to consent to being stabbed; Exelby sends a friend a message over Discord expressing regret over her decision, including, “I’m so, so scared. I’m so broken and in so much pain,” and “I thought he’d do it quick and not give my mind time to stew.”
October 12
- Hall leaves Airbnb and purchases a plastic tarp from Lowe’s in Ocala. Surveillance appears to show someone moving around in his front seat. He then drives to the area where Exelby’s body was found, and spends about an hour there.
October 13
- UK authorities reached out to FDLE asking for help finding a missing and endangered person, Sonia Exelby. Hall speaks with detectives over the phone. Hall later tells a friend in Ohio, “might be a big storm coming for me.”
October 14
- Hall meets up with detectives in person to discuss the charges from Exelby’s card. He mails a package to his friend in Ohio. Inside, detectives later found a knife with Exelby’s blood on it, and a bracelet with both Exelby and Hall’s DNA.
October 15
- FDLE searches for Airbnb.
October 17
- Hall was arrested for fraud and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Those charges were later dropped, to instead make room for homicide charges.
October 18
- Autopsy performed by the medical examiner determines Exelby died of four sharp force injuries likely caused by a knife.
- FDLE finds Exelby’s bag inside a donation bin in Gainesville
October 27
- Hall calls his wife from jail and tells her to look out for a package from a friend in six months.
October 31
- FDLE reviewed Facebook messages between Hall and the friend in Ohio. FDLE and Washington County Sheriff’s deputies search the home and recover the alleged murder weapon: a Cold Steel 7 inch tanto knife, engraved with “Dorkworf pointy end goes in the other guy” on the blade.
November 17
- Hall was arrested for the kidnapping and homicide of Sonia Exelby.
November 18
- A judge issued no bond for Hall, meaning he will stay in jail as he awaits trial.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and court documents.
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