Cox and Arnold grew apart and eventually Cox began courting another woman. Rebecca Hauck, a divorced mother of one, had moved to Tampa after falling into debt and declaring bankruptcy in Las Vegas. She had already committed criminal offenses before meeting Cox; Hauck was fired from a job in Las Vegas for forging her employer's name on checks that she used to pay her debts. They met through an online dating service. She, unlike Arnold, was willing to leave her son. After finding out that Jeff Testerman, a reporter for the "St. Petersburg Times", was investigating him, Cox and Hauck left town. Two days later, on December 14, 2003, the newspaper published Testerman's story, "Dubious Housing Deals Line Avenue".