Wife, 2 sons of a man killed while on family vacation charged in case

Authorities have been searching for clues in the homicide of David Rainey, a husband and father who had gone missing while vacationing with his family. Now more than two years later, his three family members have been charged in connection to the crime.

David Rainey had been on a trip to Suwannee, Florida, with his family and a family friend when his wife of 21 years, Cindy Rainey, reported him missing the morning of July 25, 2021, the Dixie County Sheriff's Office said.

Rainey told authorities her husband had left their weekend rental home without his cell phone, glasses or wallet the evening prior after the couple had gotten into an argument.

Later that evening, detectives searching the area found the 52-year-old man dead in a canal behind the family's rental. He had multiple stab wounds to the chest and had been placed in the water after his death, the sheriff's office said.

The case was ruled a homicide.

While it's still not clear who authorities believe murdered David Rainey, more than two years after the crime, on Oct. 25, 2023, investigators from the Dixie County Sheriff's Office traveled to Bunnell, Florida, to arrest Cindy Rainey and Bailey Rainey before traveling to Orlando to arrest Jack Rainey in connection to their husband and father's case.

The Miami Herald reports the three are suspected of disturbing the crime scene.

All three were charged with tampering with evidence, and each are being held in their respective area jails without bail.