A former Reasnor woman and 2002 Lynnville-Sully graduate has been brutally murdered and her remains found Sunday in three separate locations near Richmond, Texas, about 30 miles southwest of Houston.
WRAL in Raleigh, N.C., reports that 27-year-old Laura Jean Ackerson, a resident of Kingston, N.C., was allegedly murdered by 32-year-old Grant Ruffin Hayes, father of her 2- and 3-year-old sons. Fort Bend County investigators in Texas believe that Ackerson was dismembered in N.C., put into ice chests and transported to Texas. Authorities found her remains were dumped in a creek.
Hayes and his wife, 39-year-old Amanda Perry Hayes, were both arrested at 1 a.m. Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in the case, according to The Associated Press. The two are being held without bond.
A former boyfriend who had recently reconnected with Ackerson told WRAL that the victim had a recent custody dispute with Hayes. Court records show she was granted custody of the children but both parents considered the other unfit to retain custody.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office in Texas told AP reporters that remains believed to be Ackerson’s were found near the home of Amanda Hayes’ sister, although investigators do not suspect her involvement in the case. Deputies did search her home and recovered several items, including a machete. Authorities in Texas are still searching Oyster Creek for more remains.
Ackerson was reported missing on July 18, and the story has made national headlines.