A Florida woman was recently arrested and charged in connection with the deaths of an Alabama couple who disappeared in July.
Sheena Marie Thurman, 35, stands accused of one count of murder in two separate jurisdictions across state lines, for two counts total. According to the Dothan Police Department, the defendant has been charged with one count of murder in Dothan, Ala. and one count of open murder in Holmes County, Fla.
The victims are said to be 37-year-old Shauna Terry and her boyfriend, 42-year-old Damien Bell. The couple were both reported missing on July 11, 2022. They were last seen alive leaving the Adams Inn in Dothan on July 8, 2022. They were driving a red GMC SUV with tinted windows, according to Dothan-based ABC affiliate WDHN.
“It was determined the pair left from the motel they were staying at on Montgomery Highway late in the afternoon,” the DPD said in a media release late last month. “At the time they left, it appeared they left on their own free will. A ‘lookout’ was issued for the two individuals along with the red SUV they were traveling in. Several days passed with no leads and no new information about their whereabouts.”
In fact, weeks would pass until law enforcement received a tip that led them to an address in the Sunshine State on July 28, 2022.
According to the DPD, authorities from multiple law enforcement agencies arrived at a property located on Long Round Bay Road in Bonifay, Fla. Working with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Department, the DPD determined that bodies had been buried there and a search warrant was executed. Cadaver dogs were then brought in by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and used to sniff out the specific areas to dig.
“Excavation began at the location the dogs indicated,” the DPD said. “The bodies of two individuals were located during the excavation.”
While law enforcement believes the remains “may possibly” belong to Terry and Bell, their identities have yet to be confirmed and testing is currently underway by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
After the discovery of the human remains in Florida, authorities searched an address back in Alabama and “processed this location for evidence related to this incident,” the local police department said. Thurman was arrested following the second search in Dothan, according to Panama City, Fla.-based ABC affiliate WMBB.
At least four persons of interest were arrested at that second address on July 29, 2022, including Thurman, the TV station reported.
Additional persons of interest “have been developed and are currently being sought,” the DPD said. Additional arrests are anticipated.
The investigation is ongoing and said to be in its initial stages. As of now, however, law enforcement believes one of Terry or Bell was killed in Alabama while one of them was killed in Florida.
Thurman is currently being detained in the Houston County Jail on a $1.5 million bond. She is likely to be extradited to Holmes County soon. Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show that the defendant was also booked for one minor drug offense. The bond for that offense is set at $1,000.
[image via Houston County Jail]