Woman was murdered in Neshoba: SO
Two suspects have been denied bond after they were arrested last week in connection with the murder of two women last month, one of them in Neshoba County, the authorities said.
Austin Harrell, 27, and Shaunna Reynolds, 31, both of Newton County, were charged here with the murder of 26-year-old Breanna Strickland in Neshoba County.
Another woman, 21-year-old Kaitlyn Goolsby, was murdered in Newton County, the authorities said. Their bodies were dumped off a road not far from the Conehatta community in Newton County.
The investigation started on March 4 when the bodies were found. Clark said the two were arrested in Newton on March 12.
Both Harrell and Reynolds were served arrest warrants and appeared before Neshoba County Justice Court for an initial appearance on March 18. Bond was denied for both suspects and they remain in custody in Newton County.
“I echo Sheriff Joedy Pennington’s statement from earlier today which praised the coordinated efforts of local law enforcement agencies,” Clark said of the multi-agency investigation.
“This investigation spread over multiple jurisdictions, which shows proof of how blessed we are in the field of police protection.”
Clark said that the pair took the life of Strickland in Neshoba County on Feb. 25, while traveling on Highway 21 south. Clark said that they were reportedly headed to Scott County.
Clark said that authorities are still conducting interviews but they believe the murders were “planned” and that the two killed Goolsby around the same time on Feb. 25.
Clark said that on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, investigators discovered evidence that expanded the Newton County murder investigation to Neshoba County.
Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and Newton Sheriff’s Office started a coordinated effort to validate the information collected, Clark said.
“Over the course of the next three days, local officers worked tirelessly gathering evidence to support the new information,” Clark said.
The 8th District Attorney’s Office provided needed legal guidance to assure a strong legal case, he said.
On March 18, shortly after the pair was arrested, Newton County Sheriff Joedy Pennington said his department and the MBI had formally charged Harrell and Reynolds with the murders.
Pennington said this was a group effort involving the FBI, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Choctaw Police, Scott County, Lauderdale County, Neshoba County, Leake County, Winston County, Sebastopol Police, Union Police.
“Thank you Sheriff Eric Clark for working side-by-side with my department in this investigation,” Pennington said. “Our goal from day one was to bring justice for the two victims and their families and to find the ones responsible.”