Jordan Isaiah Thomas arrested in murder of Amarriah Smith, North Carolina college student found in abandoned car by tow truck driver. Victim used to date suspect before dumping him.
A man is in custody after the body of a North Carolina college student was found in the trunk of the man’s abandoned car.
Jordan Isaiah Thomas, 39, was charged Monday with murdering Amarriah Smith, a student at Elizabeth City State University, after a tow truck employee came upon the macabre discovery of the 19 year old girl’s body.
The suspect’s car was towed out of a private parking lot in Washington, a city 100 miles east of Raleigh, some five days earlier according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Bad break up
The discovery came five days after the abandoned vehicle had been towed to the truck facility officials said.
Authorities say Thomas left his car in the Tyco Crushing parking lot and stole a truck that was parked there. The truck was later found at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital where Thomas was later arrested, FOX19 reported.
Authorities say Smith was killed at a different location based on evidence that was found at a residence where Thomas was living.
Thomas and Smith knew each other, according to authorities. The dynamics of how the pair knew each other wasn’t immediately clear. Social media indicated the pair meeting at a tattoo shop where the suspect worked and soon after dating before the younger woman broke things off with the man more than 20 years older than her.
Just days before her death, Smith chillingly wrote on Facebook: ‘Everything that comes to you, isn’t always for you. Keep your eyes on the prize.’
No known motive
Thomas was first charged with concealing the death of a person and larceny of a motor vehicle in Beaufort County. Charges have now also been upgraded to also include first degree murder.
At the time of her death, Smith was a sophomore studying elementary education at Elizabeth City State University.
The historically Black college expressed its condolences following the teen’s death.
‘Her untimely death, which occurred off campus, has left our community saddened,’ said ECSU Chancellor Dr. Karrie Dixon. ‘Please keep Amarriah’s family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.’
To date, no known murder motive was immediately known.
