A man from Mississippi has been apprehended by authorities for reportedly escaping from a cemetery where law enforcement discovered the remains of his former girlfriend, who was 22 years old. The body was found wrapped in a sheet inside a vehicle.
Law enforcement officials discovered the body of Lauren Johansen at a cemetery in Gulfport, Mississippi. The body was found wrapped in a sheet and showed signs of mutilation. The discovery was made while responding to a welfare check.
A man named Bricen Rivers, who is 23 years old and was previously in a relationship with Johansen, reportedly managed to avoid being caught by authorities for several hours. However, he was eventually captured after a manhunt on Wednesday, according to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office as reported by the Sun Herald.
According to reports, he has been arrested and is now in custody at the Harrison County jail, facing a murder charge.
Shortly before Johansen’s passing, Rivers was released from a Nashville, Tenn., jail where he had been detained on assault charges.
In December, he faced charges of aggravated kidnapping and interfering with an emergency call in relation to another incident, as reported by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. It remains uncertain whether he has entered a plea in relation to these charges.
As per the department’s statement during the kidnapping charge, Rivers was on vacation with his girlfriend in Nashville when she made a distressing call to her family, expressing fear for her safety. The department provided this information in their statement. According to the department, Rivers reportedly assaulted her to the extent that she nearly lost consciousness during the attack.
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The victim’s family contacted the Nashville police, who promptly responded to the scene. According to law enforcement, they could hear the victim desperately banging on the vehicle in an attempt to escape the attack.
Based on the statement from the department, the victim managed to exit the vehicle when the officers arrived.
The department did not disclose the girlfriend’s name initially, although certain news outlets later identified her as Johansen as reported by PEOPLE.
Rivers was taken into custody and initially held on a bond of $251,000. However, according to jail records, his bond was later lowered to $150,000.
Rivers is currently being held on a bond of $1 million. It is currently uncertain whether he has entered a plea or hired a lawyer.