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Body on Beach: Kidnapping & Assault Charges Filed
5 Jan
Summary
- Man charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, and battery.
- Victim's body discovered on Hollywood beach last week.
- Suspect faces unrelated aggravated assault charges.
A man has been charged in connection with the death of Heather Asendorf, 56, whose body was found on the beach in Hollywood on December 26, 2025. Brandon Ward McCray, 28, has been charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting Asendorf, though not yet with homicide. McCray was arrested on Tuesday, January 2, 2026, and faces multiple counts including sexual assault, kidnapping, and battery by strangulation.
Police had identified a person of interest shortly after Asendorf's body was discovered by a passerby near Cleveland Street. They noted that the parties involved were known to each other. McCray was already in the court system facing unrelated charges, including aggravated assault from a 2023 incident where a gun was fired during a vehicle repossession attempt. He had also been arrested on December 18, 2025, for disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer.
McCray's bond for the sexual assault charges was set at $770,000 with GPS monitoring. He is currently being held at the Broward Main Jail. This is a developing story, and updates are expected as the investigation continues.
