2 people charged after missing woman’s mummified remains found in Alabama storage shed
07/25/2022 11:50 am PDT
AUTAUGA COUNTY, Ala. (TCD) -- Two people were charged after the mummified remains of a missing 36-year-old woman were discovered in a storage shed.
According to a news release from the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office, on June 15, Britta Lashley’s mother, Tammy Lashley of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, called authorities and reported her daughter missing. She had reportedly not spoken with her daughter since February 2021 and told the Sheriff’s Office she believed "something bad" happened to her. Britta’s mother told the Sheriff’s Office that her daughter was last known to be with James "Michael" Barrett.
A search reportedly began, and on June 21, the Sheriff’s Office posted a missing person notice for Britta Lashley, asking for the public’s help in finding her. The next month, on July 12, the Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant for Michael Barrett’s storage unit in Prattville, Alabama. In the unit, the Sheriff’s Office said authorities found remains they believe belong to Lashley.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Barrett and his acquaintance Edward Norman were charged with abuse of a corpse.
On July 10, AL.com reports that Norman allegedly rented a U-Haul and helped Barrett transport Lashley’s remains from a motel to the storage unit. Lashley’s body had allegedly been at the motel for nine months before it was moved to the storage shed.
On July 13, the Sheriff’s Office said the Department of Forensic Sciences performed an autopsy, but the results are pending.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, "Based on Britta’s physical description, her known tattoos, and other investigative findings, the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office is confident the remains are those of Britta Ann Lashley."
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