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On Tuesday, August 29, the body of deceased Lynchburg woman Avriel Hooks was discovered in a forested area near the Lexington Turnpike in Amherst, Virginia. In the wake of the discovery, 21-year-old Michael L. Perry III was arrested on suspicion of committing Hooks' murder. As per authorities and Hooks' family, Perry was the estranged husband of the victim. The case currently remains under investigation by Virginia authorities.
Trigger warning: This article concerns a homicide investigation, the reader's discretion is advised
According to the Amherst County Sheriff's Department, Avriel Hooks had initially been reported missing on Wednesday, August 23. Over the course of a week, several search teams collaborated in their attempts to find the homicide victim.
During the course of the search, authorities described her as a 5'5 White woman. She was wearing a black tank top, black leggings, and pink nail polish when she was last seen alive.
The timeline of the search for Avriel Hooks
At 8 pm on Tuesday, August 22, Avriel Hooks was reportedly last seen by her family members. FOX noted that the next day after the murder victim's mother, Ashely Pittman, received a suspicious text from Hooks' phone, a formal missing person report was filed.
Pittmann said that she became concerned because the text did not sound like her daughter. As a result, she believed it may have been sent by a potential abductor.
"The text message didn't seem like the way she would text. It sounded off," Pittman told WSET.
According to WDBJ7, during the course of the investigation, authorities spoke to several people Avriel Hooks was known to have had contact with. The disappearance also prompted the organization of various volunteer search parties, which searched the areas around Lynchburg and Amherst for any signs of the victim.
Joseph Bayer, a search party organizer, discussed the case.
“We have a beautiful world out here, but it can be very cruel. To see so many people coming together who did not even know this woman, it gives you hope. There’s still beauty in this world and still good people in this world still trying to do good things. I just hope it just keeps going.”
During the course of the search, authorities announced that they had identified a person of interest in the 1400 block of Garfield Avenue. On August 29, shortly after Avriel Hooks' body was discovered, authorities announced that Michael L. Perry had been arrested in connection to the slaying. The suspect has been charged with second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a dead body.
Michael L. Perry III was transferred to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail, where he is being held without bond, according to LPD. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact LPD Detective C.T. Davis at 434-455-6166, ACSO Investigator B. Escher at 434-946-9373, or Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900.
