CHOWAN COUNTY, NC – A North Carolina man is in police custody following allegations that he killed a college student before leaving her body hidden in the trunk of an abandoned car. The vehicle was later towed, and the tow truck driver made the grisly discovery.
The suspect, 39-year-old Jordan Isaiah Thomas, was charged on Monday with the murder of 19-year-old Amarriah Smith, a student at Elizabeth City State University, per the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Her body was located five days earlier in a car registered to Thomas. The car had been towed from a private parking lot located in Washington, a city approximately 100 miles east of Raleigh. Police assert that Thomas left the car behind and then stole another nearby truck, subsequently making his way to a local hospital, where he was arrested.
While the specific murder location has not yet been confirmed, law enforcement believes that Thomas killed Smith at a distinct location. Police found evidence at his residence in Edenton, which is over 50 miles from the location where they allege he hid Smith’s body and 30 miles from Smith’s school.
Neither the cause of death nor the extent of the relationship between the pair has been released. However, authorities indicate that Thomas and Smith were acquaintances. Smith’s Facebook post a few days prior to her death eerily read, “Everything that comes to you, isn’t always for you. Keep your eyes on the prize.”
Smith, a sophomore at Elizabeth City State University, was studying to become an elementary school teacher, according to her family. Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black public institution, expressed deep condolences this week. Chancellor Dr. Karrie Dixon stated in a press release, “Her untimely death, which occurred off campus, has left our community saddened. Please keep Amarriah’s family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Thomas is currently being held at the Chowan County Detention Center without bond, facing additional charges of larceny of a motor vehicle and concealing the death of a person.