MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — An 18-year-old reported missing from Arkansas was found dead in a national forest in Mississippi on Wednesday.
Police said Fredarrious Wilson was last seen in West Memphis on March 5.
► UPDATE: Mother mourns West Memphis teen found dead in MS woods
According to a police report, Wilson’s mother said she last saw her son between 4:30 and 5 p.m. before he went to the movies with a classmate.
She said she tried to call Wilson when she woke up at 11 p.m. She also told police he left with his classmate in a four-door, red or burgundy vehicle.
Investigators were able to ping Wilson’s phone and determined it was in the Holly Springs National Forest in Yalobusha County, Mississippi. The Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Office started searching for Wilson in the area Tuesday night, but the search was unsuccessful.
Their deputies searched the area for six hours.
They returned Wednesday along with multiple agencies, including the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and that’s when they discovered the 18-year-old’s body 30 yards off County Road 243.
In a statement released to WREG, Yalobusha County Sheriff Jerimaine Gooch said, ”Sadly, it wasn’t the outcome we wanted. Our focus is on this investigation, making an arrest and providing answers and closure for his family, Our prayers go out to them.”
A spokesperson with the City of West Memphis has confirmed that this is now considered a homicide investigation but declined to provide further details.
Investigators have not revealed any information about possible suspects or motive.
