Body of missing mother found, suspect in custody

The body of the Virginia mother, who mysteriously vanished on Tuesday from her front yard (read here), has been found after a suspect in her disappearance led authorities to her body.

The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office said the body of 23-year-old TerriLynn St. John was found about a mile from her home in Wake, Virginia. 

"The body was in a patch of woods covered up," said Maj. Michael Samson of the Middlesex County Sheriff's office.

Alvin Keyser, 23, of nearby Topping, was taken into custody and was being questioned about St. John's death, Samson said at a news conference Thursday.

"Mr. Keyser showed us where it [the body] was at," Samson said.

He said St. John's remains were located about 20 feet off a road. He said an autopsy was being conducted to determine the cause of death, but the case is now being investigated as a homicide. Middlesex County Sheriff David Bushey said the body of St. John was located at about 9 a.m., just as about 100 volunteers were preparing to begin the third day of a search for her. Bushey said he informed St. John's family of the discovery and offered condolences on behalf of his department.

Samson said detectives contacted Keyser Wednesday night after he made incriminating statements to someone, who posted what Keyser said on social media. He said Keyser was not immediately arrested, but contacted authorities Thursday morning.

"We do know Mr. Keyser was an acquaintance," Samson said of the suspect's relationship to the victim. "To what degree, we don't know. That's still one of the things that's being investigated by our detectives."

He said Keyser was not one of the four persons of interests in the case from whom authorities took DNA samples to analyze Wednesday.

St. John, 23's live-in boyfriend, Mac Kennard, who last saw her when he kissed her goodbye about 4:30 a.m. before heading out to work on the day of her disappearance said: "I wish I could trade places with her."

St. John, a mother of children aged 2 and 3, has been described by her family as a fun, lovable person. Her sister, Maggie, said she could not think of a reason anyone would want to hurt the missing woman.

Maggie said: "She was a very lovable, fun, outgoing person and people were attracted to that."

Speaking of TerriLynn St. John's disappearance Wednesday night, her close friend, Shelby Rose, said: "She did not deserve this. No family deserves to go through this."