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An individual has been detained following the tragic discovery of a missing Alabama woman, found deceased eight days after her disappearance.
Randall Lendell Dejourney is currently facing charges related to the mistreatment of a corpse in connection with Karen Hollis’s death, as indicated by a release from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reported that Hollis was last seen at about midnight on May 8, in the vicinity of 43rd Avenue, Northport, Alabama. The Northport Police Department stated the 23-year-old might have been “living with a condition that could impair her judgment,” as they urged the public for assistance in locating her.
“At the outset of the investigation, evidence indicated the possible involvement of foul play,” the sheriff’s office noted in their announcement. Consequently, the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit collaborated closely with Northport Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, prioritizing this case for both entities.
During the search for Hollis, authorities carried out numerous search warrants and compiled a wealth of physical, witness, and electronic evidence, which led them to identify a person of interest, according to the sheriff’s office.
At the time, however, Hollis remained missing.
Then, on the afternoon of May 16, family and friends discovered Hollis’ remains in Greene County while searching an area they had identified through electronic evidence. After the discovery, the sheriff’s office said the person of interest in the case was “immediately detained.”
Dejourney is currently being held in the county jail on a $15,000 cash bond.
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jack Kennedy told Oxygen that the investigation remains ongoing and “no other comments will be made until it is complete.”
According to the sheriff’s office, additional charges could be filed pending the results of Hollis’ autopsy.
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Medical Examiner has been tasked with determining Hollis’ cause and manner of death.
Oxygen reached out to the medical examiner’s office but did not receive an immediate response.
It’s unclear whether Dejourney has an attorney. Oxygen reached out to the Tuscaloosa County Office of the Public Defender, but did not receive an immediate reply.