A Louisiana teenager, whose dismembered body was found in a river in January, met her suspected killer online and was involved in a romantic relationship with him, according to reports and police.
Sheryl Turner, 19, of New Iberia, was last seen on Dec. 31, 2023, after telling her twin sister in a text message that she was going to travel to the home of Anthony Pierce Holland Jr. in West Monroe, the Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Office said.
Holland, 29, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder, the sheriff's office said in a release.
The investigation revealed that Turner had been "engaged in a romantic relationship over text message" with Holland, the West Monroe Police Department said, citing interviews with Turner's family.
According to court documents obtained by KLFY, Holland picked up Turner at her mother's home on Jan. 1 in his black 2023 Toyota Corolla and took her to his West Monroe home.
Turner's phone stopped transmitting around 11 a.m. on Jan. 2, and the sheriff's department learned that her phone was connected to WiFi near Holland's home.
On Jan. 24, the sheriff's office received a call about a body floating in the Ouachita River.
Deputies recovered a torso that was later identified as Turner.
An autopsy report showed that Turner had been sexually assaulted and her neck was broken.
Holland admitted to killing Turner while they were having sex at his home, KLFY reported. He said he cut the body up with a large kitchen knife.
Turner's twin sister, Sherry, said on a GoFundMe page that the family will seek justice.
"Who can take a soul so young is so sad and crazy to me...but justice will be served!!!!!! Sheryl was full of life and a sweetheart. She didn't bother nobody, always stayed to herself so who can be so cruel! Apart of me was taken when this monster did that to her," she wrote on the page.
Holland is being held without bail in the Ouachita Correctional Center.
