Background: News footage from the scene where Heather Asendorf was found dead on Dec. 26, 2025 (WPLG). Inset: Brandon McCray (Broward County Sheriff's Office).
A Florida man was arrested after a woman was found dead on a popular beach.
Brandon McCray, 28, was taken into custody on Dec. 30, 2025, following a multi-agency investigation into the death of 56-year-old Heather Asendorf. Asendorf's body was found on Hollywood Beach on the morning of Dec. 26, 2025, and police suspected foul play. Local news outlet WPLG reported that days later, the Hollywood Police Department announced that it arrested McCray in connection with the death investigation.
McCray has not been charged with Asendorf's death. According to court records, he was charged with two counts of armed sexual battery, kidnapping, and battery by strangulation. WPLG reported that police stated that more charges would likely follow.
Hollywood police told local news outlets that the department worked alongside the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force to find McCray. He was arrested at his home without incident. McCray made his first appearance in court on Dec. 31, 2025.
Police said officers responded to a report of a dead body found at Hollywood Beach at 7 a.m. on Dec. 26. Asendorf, a Pennsylvania native who was known to spend time in Hollywood, Florida, was later identified after being pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not provide details about whether Asendorf had a relationship with McCray before her death.
Local NBC affiliate WTVJ spoke to a witness who said that Asendorf's body was found wrapped in a white blanket. Another witness who spoke to the station said that she saw a "blood trail" leading away from the body.
McCray is currently in custody at the Broward County Jail, where he is being held on $770,000 bond. His next court date was not made public.
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