A woman whose body was found on the side of the road in November was strangled, Texas officials revealed on Tuesday.
In a statement issued to KPRC, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences also said they ruled Alexis Sharkey’s death a homicide. Officials said Sharkey’s autopsy report will be released after law enforcement completes their investigation.
On November 28, a garbage collector found Sharkey, 26, dead off Interstate 10 in Houston, approximately four miles from her home. Sharkey had last contacted her friends a day earlier, and she reportedly spent Thanksgiving with a friend.
Sharkey was reportedly nude and had no visible injuries. Authorities believe her body had been there overnight, according to reports.
Several people close to the couple have since alleged Alexis Sharkey was in an abusive marriage with her husband, Tom Sharkey, 49.
Alexis Sharkey reportedly told friends during a trip in October that her husband was abusing her and she feared for her safety. She also said she was divorcing him.
“Throughout the trip, he was sending really awful, nasty messages to her,” a friend told The Daily Beast.
“But one night when she and I were talking alone she said, ‘He strangles me and chokes me out and I black out and wake up on the bathroom floor every single time.’”
Two friends also claimed Tom Sharkey told them that the day his wife disappeared that he had gotten into an argument with her before she “hopped over their patio fence and into a car.” Local reports indicated that Alexis Sharkey did not leave in her car.
Despite Tuesday’s announcement, no arrests have been made in connection with Alexis Sharkey’s death. Authorities also have not named any persons of interest in this case.
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[Featured image: Alexis Sharkey/Facebook]