- December 14, 2025
A Palm Coast man was found dead inside his car Saturday night in the parking lot of Varn Park from a self-inflicted gunshot, deputies said.
Around 7:40 p.m. Saturday, a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to the home at 14 Elder Drive, in Palm Coast, in reference to a verbal disturbance between husband and wife Scarlet and Paul Bouler.
While en route, however, the deputy was advised by dispatch that a call was received from the Rev. Alberto Esposito, who stated he was calling on behalf of a family the attends his church, Santa Maria Del Mar.
Esposito said Scarlet Bouler, 41, was with him at the church and told him that she and her husband, Paul Bouler, 49, had gotten into a verbal altercation at their E-section home.
Scarlet Bouler said she left the home to pick up food at McDonald’s and when she returned home, the children told her that Paul Bouler walked out of the house concealing an unknown object to the side of his leg, the report states. Scarlet Bouler was concerned the object may have been the .38-caliber revolver stored in the master bedroom.
Deputies continued to the home on Elder Drive and couldn’t locate Paul Bouler.
Flagler County dispatch issued a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) alert for Paul Bouler shortly after, advising Bouler could be in his Honda Civic.
Around 9:15 p.m., a Flagler County deputy who was conducting a security check at Varn Park, in Flagler Beach, located the Honda Civic — the only vehicle parked in the parking lot.
Initially, it didn’t appear that anyone was inside the car. However, when the deputy approached the vehicle from the other side, he noticed Bouler slumped over in the driver’s seat.
The deputy confirmed the tag, which matched the tag number of the male who left from 14 Elder Drive.
“I then approached the passenger’s side door and observed blood coming from the head, ears and mouth of the male,” the deputy wrote in his report. “I also saw a revolver in his right hand, which was lying on his lap.”
Emergency responders pronounced Paul Bouler dead at the scene at 9:25 p.m., the report states.
