A 39-year-old woman from Columbus, Georgia, who was allegedly kidnapped by four people early on Monday was found dead in Alabama, authorities said.
The four suspects have been identified by Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor as Jayvonn Phillips, 23, of Seale, Alabama, and Columbus residents Demetria Johnson, 30, Shaun Johnson, 40, and Joshua Tolbert, 30.
All suspects were arrested after a police chase with deputies that ended with the fleeing vehicle crashing, Taylor said.
No details surrounding injuries sustained following the crash were released. Police said the suspects have been taken into custody and jailed in Russell County on charges of capital murder and kidnapping.
As one of the suspects was being transferred from the sheriff’s office to the county jail, he told WVTM reporters at the scene he did not kill or kidnap Tameka Skinner and that he is sorry for the family’s loss.
“I did not kill that girl or kidnap her. I’m not that type of person. I’ve got a son myself,” the suspect claimed to the outlet as he was taken away.
All four men are expected to be held without bond at the county jail, the Ledger-Enquirer reported. It was not immediately clear if any of them had defense attorneys.
Detectives located the body of Skinner with gunshot wounds close to Bush Road and Porter Road near the roadside, Sheriff Taylor told reporters at a press conference on Monday.
She was found about half a day after she was reportedly kidnapped and attacked at about 1 a.m. on Monday in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Columbus while she was with her boyfriend.
Skinner had two children her sister, Rashaada Rogers, told the Ledger-Enquirer. She had been house-sitting at the apartment complex. The boyfriend of Skinner called Rogers to tell her what happened shortly after the incident.
While deputies were searching for Skinner’s car that was believed to be in Russell County, they located a “suspicious vehicle” that fled the scene after authorities attempted to investigate it. The police chase involved eight local and state agencies and ended with the fleeing car wrecking itself and the four suspects taken into custody.
Skinner’s stolen car was also located partially burned soon after deputies arrested the four suspects. Several hours later, officials recovered the mother’s body as well.
“Both sides of the river and our district attorney’s office will do everything in its power to bring these people to justice that committed this horrible crime,” Taylor told WVTM.
The sheriff added that at least one suspect knew Skinner, but no motive for the kidnapping and murder was provided at this time. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
