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On Wednesday, authorities confirmed that the dead body found in a suitcase is that of missing pregnant North Carolina woman Brittany Simone Smith. Smith, 28, was reported missing on Thursday and search crews had been looking in the area throughout the weekend when the grisly discovery was made on Monday off Allen Road near Neuse River east of Raleigh, WECT reported, citing Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker.
When the body was found, Baker stated, “It’s safe to say that this is no accident. If this is, in fact, that young lady we’ve been looking for all weekend long. Someone is responsible for that. That just doesn’t happen.”
The state medical examiner positively identified the body and authorities released that information at a press conference on Wednesday night. The cause of death was not provided. On Wednesday afternoon, a couple was arrested during a traffic stop in Raleigh in connection with Smith’s disappearance and death, WNCT 9 reported. Thomas Clayton Johnson, 37, and Emmalei Grace Trevathan, 24, were charged with murder, murder of an unborn child, and concealment of a body.
Authorities Searched the Property Where Smith Lived After Her Body Was Found
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Smith had been living with her boyfriend Cody Page for months in a tent on a property owned by her friend Dale Williams. On Monday, authorities searched the area of the property where she was living and Williams told WAVY, “I offered to let them in because I had nothing to hide.” He said while he wasn’t able to put up Smith and her boyfriend in his home, he offered the space on his property: “This certainly beats living under a bridge.”
Williams said after Smith went missing on Thursday night, her boyfriend was extremely upset. “Cody loved her very much. He was completely devastated,” Williams told the outlet. He said he is also very worried because Smith “is someone I’ve tried to help, nurtured, and cared for.”
At the time of her disappearance and the discovery of the body in the suitcase, the sheriff indicated that “We have people of interest. An investigation is a process of elimination. We’re going to find out who’s responsible because these things just don’t happen,” according to WECT. The outlet wrote that multiple people were escorted from the scene where the body was found for questioning.
Smith Was Last Seen at Williams’ Property on Thursday Night
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Smith, a 28-year-old described as noticeably pregnant, was reported missing on Thursday and was last seen in the Fox Run Drive area of Wendell, on Williams’ property, WRAL reported. The woman is about 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds. According to the outlet, authorities said Smith could also have been spotted in the 7000 block of Hodge Road.
The sheriff said, “We’ve got a lot of folks who are concerned about the whereabouts of this young lady. She’s a daughter. She’s a sister. She’s a family member. They’ve been working very hard to find her.” Authorities have asked members of the public with information about the case to contact the Wake County Sheriff’s Office at 919-856-6911.
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