A 29-year-old Louisiana man has been charged in the grisly death of a 19-year-old woman he met online.
On January 24, a hunter made a chilling discovery in the Ouachita River in Catahoula Parish. Human remains were found, the torso of a woman, raising alarm bells in the community.
The investigation into the identity of the remains was initiated, and it was confirmed in late February that they belonged to 19-year-old Sheryl Turner.
Anthony Pierce Holland Jr., a 29-year-old resident of West Monroe, has been arrested in connection with the crime.
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Turner went missing in December 2023, leaving her family and friends deeply concerned.
According to the West Monroe Police Department, she mentioned her intention to move to Ouachita Parish after meeting someone there. On December 31, she sent a text message to her twin sister, informing her of her plans.
Another text message was also sent to a family friend, stating that she had arrived safely in West Monroe and would be in touch soon. However, after January 2, Turner’s family did not hear from her again.
The Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, worked tirelessly to unravel the mystery surrounding Turner’s disappearance and subsequent death. Their efforts led them to Anthony Pierce Holland Jr., who was taken into custody on April 23.
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Holland was charged with second-degree murder.
Following his arrest, Holland confessed to his involvement in the crime. He admitted to picking up Turner from her mother’s residence in a black 2023 Toyota Corolla on January 1.
They then traveled together to Ouachita Parish. Phone records indicated that Turner’s phone stopped transmitting on January 2, and it was later discovered that her phone was connected to wifi near Holland’s home on Trenton Street in West Monroe.
Investigators uncovered further evidence linking Holland to the crime. Traffic cameras captured Holland’s vehicle in the vicinity of where the body was found, just days before its discovery.
During the search warrants at Holland’s home, forensic evidence of a crime of violence was obtained.
During subsequent interviews with Holland, he admitted to killing Turner inside his residence. Holland further stated he dismembered the body of Turner inside his home. Holland stated he placed Turner’s dismembered remains into a body of water that fed into the Ouachita River.
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Medical examiners confirmed that the duration of time the remains had been in the river aligned with the timeframe when Holland’s vehicle was captured on the traffic cameras.
The autopsy report revealed that Turner had been sexually assaulted, and her neck had been broken prior to being dismembered.
“The West Monroe Police Department would like to thank the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office for their hard work and dedication on this case. WMPD would also like to thank the Louisiana Office of the Attorney General, the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this matter,” said WMPD.
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