This was very unusual; Vilet left behind her three young children (ages 4-12) and all her belongings. She and Cid, her husband of 15 years, had separated two months earlier and were going through a difficult divorce. Vilet’s family described Cid as jealous and controlling, and they had a history of domestic violence.

On the night Vilet disappeared, Cid was unexpectedly at their home babysitting their children – the first time he’d spent the night there in months. After Vilet vanished, Cid moved back into the house, against her family’s wishes. Child services quickly removed the children and placed them with Vilet’s parents.

Cid became a suspect early in the investigation. Police searched his car and home, finding evidence suggesting foul play. Their 12-year-old daughter said she heard strange noises and crying that night. Dogs trained to detect human remains found their scent in Cid’s car. Additionally, Cid had made threatening comments about killing Vilet six months prior, and he had been secretly tracking her phone and even hired a private investigator to follow her.

Cid was arrested for first-degree murder in November 2012. At his trial in 2017, he pleaded not guilty, arguing there was no proof of murder without a body. The prosecution believed he killed Vilet and hid her body in the Everglades. After eight hours of deliberation, the jury found Cid guilty of second-degree murder.