Woman found buried near home of online boyfriend after she discovered his secret identity
“While we desperately hoped for a different outcome, I’m grateful for the dogged determination of my deputies and our Texas Rangers,” sheriff says
A Texas woman has been found buried close to the home of a man she was dating after she told him that she would reveal to his wife that he was having an affair.
Kayla Kelley, 33, was found buried in a field in Grand Prairie, west of Dallas, Texas, the Collin County sheriff’s office said on Thursday.
The determination of the cause of death is pending, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office. Ms Kelley was reported missing last week, CBS News reported.
Ocastor Ferguson, 32, was taken into custody on Saturday on a charge of kidnapping in connection to the disappearance of Ms Kelley, the sheriff’s office added.
The day after she was reported missing, Ms Kelley’s car was found burned in a rural area of Frisco, another Dallas suburb, on 12 January.
An arrest affidavit states that Ms Kelley’s aunt and colleagues said they hadn’t been in contact with her for a number of days.
Mr Ferguson was still jailed as of Thursday, with records revealing that in addition to the kidnapping charge, he was also being held on a charge of arson. The jail records didn’t state if he had retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
After the remains of Ms Kelley had been identified, the sheriff’s office stated that it was working with the office of the district attorney to decide if Mr Ferguson will be charged with additional criminal offences.
Mr Ferguson told law enforcement that he had encountered Ms Kelley online and that they started dating last summer, according to the affidavit.
He said he had used a fake name when interacting with Ms Kelley, but that she found out his real name and that he was married, the legal filing said.
The authorities told CBS DFW that they reviewed Mr Ferguson’s mobile phone signal while Ms Kelley was missing and that it reportedly pinged close to the area where Ms Kelley’s remains were located.
Law enforcement discovered conversations on Mr Ferguson’s phone with Ms Kelley, which revealed that she had told him that she would tell his wife that he was being unfaithful if he didn’t respond, the affidavit states.
Mr Ferguson’s wife reported a vehicle as stolen, according to investigators. It was found close to Ms Kelley’s residence in Collin County, north of Dallas. Gloves, duct tape, and a blanket were found in the vehicle, the legal document said.
Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said in a statement that “while we desperately hoped for a different outcome, I’m grateful for the dogged determination of my deputies and our Texas Rangers in locating Ms Kelley”.