A West Monroe man was arrested Tuesday after a three-month investigation into the discovery of a woman’s body in the Ouachita River.
On January 24, the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting a body floating in the Ouachita River in a rural area off Poole Road near Jonesville. Deputies recovered a torso missing its extremities. The remains were sent for an autopsy and the findings determined the death was as a homicide.
During the investigation, the remains were positively identified through DNA testing as Sheryl M. Turner, 19, of New Iberia.
Through examination of forensic data, it was determined Turner had engaged in a romantic relationship over text message with someone from West Monroe. From statements given by Turner’s family, she left New Iberia to stay with a person she met online. Turner’s last known location was later determined to be a residence in West Monroe.
On April 19, the West Monroe Police Department took a lead investigating role in the case. Through forensic data and surveillance, Anthony Pierce Holland Jr. was identified as a suspect.
Search warrants were executed at Holland’s home Tuesday, and he was taken into custody without incident.
During the execution of search warrants at Holland’s home, forensic evidence of a crime of violence was collected. During interviews, Holland admitted to killing Turner inside his residence. He reportedly told police he dismembered Turner’s inside his home and placed the remains into a body of water that fed into the Ouachita River.
Holland was booked at the Ouachita Correctional Center for one count of second degree murder. He is being held without bail.
The investigation is continuing, according to West Monroe Police.
In a press release, WMPD said, “[we] 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.”
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
