The brother-in-law of a woman found dead in Mount Dora has been arrested for her murder.
On May 2, 2025, the body of 44-year-old Monica Islam of Eustis was discovered by a passerby at the intersection of Wolf Branch Drive and Scenic Hills Drive in Mount Dora.
During the investigation, detectives learned that Monica had previously been the victim of domestic violence by her husband, Rashedul Islam, and his brother, 43-year-old Shahidul Islam, in December 2024.
Rashedul allegedly struck Monica and stole jewelry, as well as paperwork for property in Bangladesh that was the subject of a dispute between the husband and wife. Shahidul allegedly pointed a gun at Monica, telling her not to call 911 during that same incident. This incident was reported to the Eustis Police Department; however, Rashedul left the country shortly thereafter, was not charged and has yet to return.
Detectives also learned that Shahidul had been previously deported and had an active federal immigration warrant after again illegally re-entering the United States. They were able to obtain vehicle information from license plate readers that led them to connect him to a home in Sanford. Further investigation revealed that he had recently fled Sanford and headed to New York in a rental car, at which time the U.S. Marshals Service was requested to assist in locating him. They took him into custody on the federal immigration warrant on May 6, 2025.
Based on evidence and witness accounts, the investigation revealed the following:
- Shahidul left his home in Longwood on the morning of Monica’s death, just after 3:30 a.m., and was in the area of the Shell gas station in Eustis, where she worked, at approximately 5:15 a.m.
- Shahidul called Monica’s phone just after 5:30 a.m., and Monica can then be seen on surveillance video walking towards his car.
- License plate reader databases place his car in the area where Monica’s body was found at approximately 5:56 a.m.
- At approximately 6:28 a.m., Shahidul began searching the Internet for information regarding this incident.
- At approximately 7 a.m., Shahidul returned to his home in Longwood.
- Monica’s body was found at 7:22 a.m.
- A search of Shahidul’s car revealed a shattered passenger side window, a projectile in the passenger door, and blood stains that resulted in a presumptive match to Monica’s DNA
On Sunday, Shahidul was extradited from federal custody back to Lake County on the first-degree murder warrant detectives obtained in May 2025. He is being held at Lake County Jail without bond.