A Texas woman who was reported missing this month and whose empty car was later found in a remote area has been found dead, officials said Thursday.
A body found buried in a field in Grand Prairie on Wednesday has been confirmed to be that of the missing woman, Kayla Kelley, 33, of McKinney, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Ocastor Ferguson, 32, was arrested Saturday on a kidnapping charge.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that now that Kelley’s body has been found, it is working with the county district attorney on additional charges.
Ferguson is being held in lieu of $1.5 million bond on kidnapping and arson warrants, according to online records. The arson charge stems from Kelley’s vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
Online records did not appear to show an attorney for Ferguson.
Friends of Kelley reported her missing on Jan. 11 after not having heard from her for several days, the sheriff’s office has said.
An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by NBC Dallas-Fort Worth says friends reported Kelley had been dating someone she knew as Kevin Brown but found out that his real name was Ferguson and that he was married, according to the station.
The sheriff’s office has said Ferguson is also known as Kevin Brown, and online jail records list Ferguson as being married.
The sheriff’s office said the case was an ongoing homicide investigation.
On Thursday, the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office positively identified the remains found in Grand Prairie, the sheriff’s office said. A cause and a manner of death were not released.
Grand Prairie and McKinney are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Grand Prairie is around 40 miles southwest of McKinney. Kelley’s car was found in a remote area in Frisco, the sheriff’s office has said.
