A Kentucky man was arrested early Thursday morning after authorities found human remains while searching for mother of four, Savannah Spurlock, who disappeared in January.
Police say 24-year-old David Sparks was arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence. The arrest happened hours after police searched a home close to the intersection of Fall Lick Road and Perkins Lane in Garrard County on Wednesday evening.
According to Kentucky State Police Public Affairs Officer, Robert Purdy, the search began after they received a credible tip in connection to Savannah. Several hours after they arrived to the home, authorities obtained a search warrant to search the property.
“Just before midnight, human remains were located outside of the residence, exhumed and taken to the state Medical Examiner’s Office,” Kentucky State Police Public Affairs Officer, Robert Purdy, said, according to WDRB. “At this time we cannot confirm the identity of the individual due to decomposition.”
According to WKYT, the arrest citation stated that a man smelled a “foul odor” coming from his property on Wednesday and contacted his attorney. The property reportedly belongs to Sparks’ parents and had been searched several times in the past without results.
Authorities also said Sparks lives with his parents at the residence.
During the latest search, police found the remains buried outside on the property. Purdy didn’t specify the exact location outside, but he indicated authorities recovered the remains “outside from the ground.”
The Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfurt is in the process of trying to get a positive identification.
Richardson said the car Spurlock drove to the bar on January 4 was located in Lexington with her purse and coat inside. Her cellphone has not been found. Surveillance footage captured on the night in question showed Savannah holding her purse while walking with the men. However, she may have put her purse in her car before leaving with them.
“There was a purse found in a car that Savannah took to Lexington,” Richardson said. “We do not have her cellphone. We would like to have her cellphone. We are looking for her and the cellphone, but we know for sure the cellphone went out of service around 8:30 – 8:45 that morning. How it went out of service we don’t know, but we know that it did and it hasn’t been turned back on.”
Spurlock, a mother of four, gave birth to twins in December. Her mother, Ellen Spurlock, who lived with her daughter in Richmond, was babysitting the children the night Spurlock went out. Ellen Spurlock told ABC she spoke to her daughter on via FaceTime at around 3 a.m. the morning she disappeared. The worried mother said she could hear other people in the car with Spurlock, but her daughter seemed fine.
“She seemed okay,” Ellen Spurlock said. “She told me she was fine. When I asked her where she was, she said she was in Lexington. She promised she’d be home later that morning. She did not seem out of the ordinary.”
Ellen Spurlock added that her daughter “hardly went anywhere” and is “a very responsible individual.” She also thinks the men are not being full forthcoming, according to Lexington Herald.
“I think the guys she was with know more than they are saying. Their story doesn’t make sense. She left with no money, no car, no coat, no phone in a different county than where she lives. It’s not like her.”
The story is developing. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
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[Feature Photo: Savannah Spurlock/Facebook]
