A man suspected of killing his girlfriend suffered a fatal heart attack while allegedly moving her body through woods in Alabama after strangling her, according to autopsy findings.
Daniel Robbins, 44, and Jessica Folds, a 47-year-old mother of three, were discovered dead on June 10 in a wooded area of Lanett, a small rural community in Chambers County.
Chambers County Sheriff Jeff Nelson told WTVM that deputies found Folds with her hands positioned above her head.
Robbins was found nearby in a fetal position, and investigators also observed what appeared to be a “drag path” at the scene.
Authorities later confirmed through an autopsy that Folds died from strangulation.
Investigators have not determined exactly where Folds was killed, but they believe Robbins fatally attacked her during a domestic incident the previous night.
District Attorney Mike Segrest told AL.com that officials suspect Robbins was attempting to dispose of her body when he collapsed and died.
“He died of a heart attack while doing it,” Segrest said. “Their bodies were right there together.”
Jessica Folds, 47, was found dead in a wooded area in her hometown of Lanett, Alabama on June 10. An autopsy revealed she was strangled to death
Police believe her boyfriend Daniel Robbins, 44, killed her. Investigators say he died of a heart attack while he was trying to dispose of her body
Police were called to the wooded area around noon on June 10 after a passerby spotted a pickup truck abandoned alongside a dirt road.
The truck had been left running, the driver’s side door was open, and the tailgate was pulled down, Segrest said.
Officials followed drag marks through the dirt, beginning at the tailgate and ending in the brush where their bodies were found.
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Sheriff Nelson told WTVM that the passerby who found the couple initially thought their remains were mannequins.
Robbins had a preexisting heart condition, his ex-wife told the outlet. Officials have not said whether that condition contributed to his death.
Folds lived just a few miles away from the woods where her body was found.
She and Robbins, from Macon, Georgia, were in a relationship.
Police have not said exactly how long the pair had been dating, but public records show Folds’ husband of five years, Jimmy ‘Lamar’ Folds, passed away in February 2025.
Folds leaves behind three adult sons and two grandchildren.
Deputies found the 47-year-old with her hands raised over her head. Robbins was next to her in the fetal position. Their remains were found in the brush off of County Road 86
Folds leaves behind three adult sons and two grandchildren. She is remembered for her ‘heart of gold, deep love for everyone, and smile that brightened the world’
‘Jessica lived and worked many places in the Auburn-Opelika area. Jessica touched the lives of many with her heart of gold, deep love for everyone, and smile that brightened the world,’ her obituary reads.
Robbins was a father of one daughter.
His obituary, which has since been removed from the funeral home website, hailed him as a ‘country boy who loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing and had a deep passion for racing.’
‘He specialized in welding, but loved working in farming and on vehicles,’ the tribute said, according to AL.com.
Police have not released a motive for the killing, which remains under investigation.
