Authorities have located the body of an Alabama woman who had been missing for over a week, and a man has been charged in connection with the case.
Karen Deann Hollis, aged 23, was discovered by her loved ones on Saturday, marking eight days since she was reported missing, according to WBRC.
Hollis was last seen around midnight on May 8 in Northport, about 60 miles from Birmingham. Police noted she had a medical condition that might affect her decision-making abilities.
The search for Hollis was intensive, prompting the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to issue a missing and endangered person alert.
Her remains were found in Greene County, leading to the arrest of 44-year-old Randall Lendell Dejourney, who has been charged with abuse of a corpse. An autopsy is pending, and additional charges could follow based on its findings.
In her final communication, Hollis texted her boyfriend, Zackary Slaughter, saying she was heading out to buy a Reese’s peanut butter cup. This message turned out to be her last.
“She texted me at 11 p.m. saying she didn’t feel good,” he told CBS42, recounting their last messages.
“I tried calling her at 4 that morning when I woke up, and then at 5 a.m. detectives were knocking on my door.”
He claimed cops “showed up and considered me as a suspect.”
Slaughter told the outlet he had been instructed by a bail bondsman not to contact Hollis due to a previous domestic violence charge. But, he claimed they had reconciled.
“I was one phone call away and she never got the opportunity, and I wasn’t there,” he said.
Hollis’ sister Brandy has been left heartbroken by her death.
“Oh I miss you,” she wrote on Facebook. “My heart is hurting. We was [sic] planning on hanging out again an [sic] going fishing. Please tell our brother tat I miss him n love him. You #forever23 just like him.”
In another post, Brandy wrote, “I want her back so bad. A piece of me left with her.”
