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Blood Found In Car Of Missing Manatee Motel Owner

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By CHRISTOPHER O'DONNELL

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: November 11, 2008

  Sabine Musil-Buehler

MANATEE COUNTY - Police investigating the disappearance of an Anna Maria Island motel owner have found blood in her car and clothes belonging to her in the trunk.

Robert Corona was later pulled over driving her car, which has blood in it.

Sabine Musil-Buehler, 49-year-old co-owner of Haley's Motel in Holmes Beach, has been missing for nearly a week.

In addition to the blood and clothes, police say they have found that parts of seats and carpeting from inside the car had been removed.

Investigators are now treating her disappearance as a possible homicide, a sheriff's office report states.

"As the days go by and we haven't been able to locate her, we're more and more concerned about this," said sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow.

The car was being driven by Robert Corona, 38, when it was pulled over about 2:30 a.m. Thursday for a traffic violation.

Corona ran but was tracked by a police dog.

According to reports: Corona initially said he was given the car by a friend to go and buy some drugs. He later changed his story, saying he found the car behind the Gator Lounge, 1800 block 14th St. W., Bradenton. It was unlocked and with the keys in the ignition, he told detectives.

Corona said he ran from police because he assumed the car had been reported stolen. He was charged with car theft, driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest. Authorities do not know of any link between Corona and Musil-Buehler, Bristow said.

Police are testing the blood found in the car to determine if it belongs to Musil-Buehler.

"We're trying to find this woman," Bristow said. "Hopefully she'll be alive, but there's no guarantee."

Musil-Buehler was last seen Wednesday night in the vicinity of 14th Street West and 26th Avenue.

Friends and family think she may have been in the area to assist a former motel employee.

Anyone with information on Musil-Buehler's whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff's office at 747-3011, or CrimeStoppers at (866) 634-8477.

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