A missing 23-year-old woman was found dead in a trash bag on the side of an interstate after her loved ones launched a desperate search for her, police say.
Karen Hollis had been reported missing earlier this month after relatives said they had not heard from her and became increasingly concerned for her welfare.
Authorities in Alabama say her body was discovered near Interstate 20/59 following an investigation involving local law enforcement and her family, as reported by Need To Know.
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A man identified as Randall Lendell Dejourney was initially arrested on abuse of a corpse charges after investigators alleged he had transported and concealed Hollis’ remains.
But following an autopsy and further investigation, police confirmed the charges had now escalated dramatically.
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office announced Dejourney has since been charged with murder in connection with Hollis’ death.
Investigators allege Hollis’ body was placed inside a trash bag and dumped along the interstate, where she was later discovered by loved ones searching for her.
According to reports, family members had spent days trying to locate the 23-year-old before the grim discovery was made.
Officials have not yet publicly revealed Hollis’ cause of death, though authorities said an autopsy was carried out as part of the ongoing investigation.
Court records cited by local media allege Dejourney was linked to Hollis shortly before she disappeared. Further details about their relationship have not yet been released publicly.
The case has sparked an outpouring of grief online, with friends and relatives paying tribute to Hollis on social media.
A loved one described her as ‘beautiful inside and out’, while others shared heartbreak over the circumstances surrounding her death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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