Kayla Kelley.Photo: Collin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
A married Texas manaccused of kidnapping his missing girlfriendand setting fire to her abandoned car has now been charged with murder in connection with her death, police say, according to multiple news outlets.
Kayla Kelley’s remains were found on Jan. 18 in a field in Grand Prairie, less than a mile from the home of Ocaster Ferguson, the man she had been dating, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Police say her cause of death remains under investigation, but her manner of death is homicide.
The 33-year-old woman was reported missing on Jan. 11 after friends and family hadn’t heard from her for several days,NBC 5 reports.
Before she vanished, investigators reportedly said Kelley was planning to confront Ferguson after she had learned he was allegedly married and using a false name.
During the investigation, authorities found Kelley’s car, dumped and “burned beyond recognition,” near her boyfriend’s place of work, the outlet reports. On Jan. 14, Ferguson, 32, was arrested and charged with kidnapping and arson.
Last week, he was additionally charged with murder.
Ferguson and Kelley reportedly began dating last summer after meeting online. He used the name “Kevin” with her because he didn’t want her to know his true identity, according to police, reports state. Before she disappeared, she told friends she intended to confront him regarding his alleged lies about being married, as well as about his alleged use of a fake name.
After Kelley was reported missing, investigators learned Ferguson and his wife had recently reported their Lexus stolen, and their car was later found near Kelley’s home with duct tape, gloves and a blanket inside it,ABC 8 reports.
The warrant also reportedly indicated that Ferguson’s phone records showed he’d been near Kelley’s home, as well as the location where her car was found burned and left behind, on Jan. 10.
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Ferguson is being held in Collin County Jail on a $1 million bond, multiple outlets report. It is not clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
source: people.com
