Murder Suspect Deemed Unfit to Stand Trial

John Alan Mellquist, 54, was arrested in February in connection with the second-degree murder of Anneliese Schweickardt, a German citizen living in Sarasota on a tourist visa at the time of her death, according to a report.

Recently two Sarasota psychiatrists found him incompetent to stand trial and recommended he be committed to a mental treatment facility of the Department of Children and Family Services for a period of 12 to 18 months, the documents show.

Schweickardt has been missing since 2003, her body has never found, however investigators suspected foul play after discovering blood throughout her Sarasota home.

An effort had been made to clean up the mess, but investigators unearthed blood stains under the linoleum floor, kitchen cabinets, stove and refrigerator as well as under a folding door that led to the laundry room. 

Mellquist was renting a room from Schweickart at the time of her disappearance, but he had recently been evicted for his messy habits and constant drinking, according to a report. He was questioned at the time of the occurrence, but not arrested until nearly ten years later when he was found living in the woods near Ortiz Boulevard and Warm Mineral Springs.

After rehabilitation, Mellquist could still stand trial.