An Alabama woman missing for more than a week was found dead Saturday, and a man has been charged with corpse abuse in connection with her death.
Karen Deann Hollis, 23, vanished May 8 from Northport. She was last seen at about midnight in the area of 43rd Avenue in Northport.
At the time of her disappearance, Northport police said Hollis was believed to be living with a condition that could impair her judgment.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued a missing person alert in connection with her disappearance.
Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said the initial investigation led detectives to believe that foul play may have been involved. TVCU and Northport police have been working together on the case.
“The investigation has been a priority for both agencies,” Kennedy said. “Multiple search warrants were executed, and a great deal of physical, witness, and electronic information was obtained.”
A person of interest was developed last week, but the victim still had not been located.
On Saturday, family and friends located Hollis’s remains while searching an area that was determined to be of interest based on information received from an electronic device.
Kennedy said the remains were recovered in Greene County. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Green County District Attorney’s Office, and the Greene County coroner also assisted with the recovery of the remains.
The man identified last week as the person of interest, 44-year-old Randall Lendell Dejourney, was immediately taken into custody.
Dejourney is charged with abuse of corpse. He was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail with bond set at $15,000.
Kennedy said Hollis’s remains have been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death.
The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be brought following the findings of that autopsy.
