Two Abilene teenagers have been arrested in connection with the murder of a missing Abilene resident found deceased in Jones County on April 22, said a media release from the Jones County Sheriff’s Office.
The deceased individual has since been named as Brayden Crawford, 19, of Abilene reported missing earlier that day, the sheriff’s office said in the media release.
On Wednesday, officers apprehended a 15-year-old boy in connection to the murder of Crawford and also arrested 19-year-old Elijah Damarques Brown, who has been charged with tampering with physical evidence, a human corpse, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office said.
Brown was free Friday from the Taylor County Jail on a $75,000 bond, online jail records show.
The 15-year-old was in custody in Taylor County on Thursday, the media release said.
Murder is a first degree felony punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison, and tampering with evidence, a human corpse, is a second degree felony carrying a punishment of 2 to 20 years in prison in case of conviction. Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Brown was booked into the Taylor County Jail on Wednesday, according to Taylor County Jail records.
At approximately 5 p.m. April 22, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report by a local fisherman who had discovered a deceased person in the Brazos River, said a media release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Crawford’s body was discovered under a bridge at FM Road 600 and County Road 303, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office said.
According to the DPS media release, the Texas Rangers and the APD are assisting the Jones County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene teens arrested in connection to murder, evidence tampering
Reporting by Lauren Dossey, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
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