A Virginia man was taken into custody on Tuesday evening following the discovery of a body during a search operation for 20-year-old Avriel Hooks, who vanished under mysterious conditions. The Lynchburg Police Department announced that a body was discovered during the search for Hooks and later confirmed that her spouse, 21-year-old Michael Perry III, was apprehended after an interrogation. Perry is currently detained without bail at the Blue Ridge County Jail, facing charges of second-degree murder and illegal disposal of a corpse on private land.
The body was discovered in a forested region off U.S. 60 in Amherst, Virginia. Authorities are still awaiting confirmation to determine if the body is that of Hooks. The Lynchburg Police Department, in a statement, expressed gratitude to the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations for their assistance in the case.
Hooks was last seen by her family around 8 p.m. on Aug. 22, according to police reports. A Facebook profile for Hooks indicates that she is separated, and her family informed media that the couple was estranged. The family reported Hooks missing on Aug. 23. Her mother, Ashley Pittman, stated she received a text from Hooks around 6 a.m. on the day she was reported missing, but she doubts her daughter was the one who sent it.
The text message, which seemed unusual to Hooks’ family, stated that she needed some “me time” and was at a friend’s house. Her parents, however, insist that this is not their daughter’s typical way of communicating.