Two years ago a graduate student from the University of Mississippi went missing. The 20-year-old Jimmie 'Jay' Lee was last seen leaving his apartment on July 8, 2022. He drove out to allegedly meet Sheldon 'Timothy' Herrington, who has be accused of murdering Lee. Now, there are more devastating updates regarding the missing Ole Miss student.
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Devastating Updates Regarding Missing Ole Miss Student
Daily Mail revealed that Lee and Herrington had been having "an under the radar sexual relationship." Officials believed that Herrington strangled Lee to death and then disposed of his body. Herrington was arrested in July of 2022 with a first-degree murder charge. It seemed as if the case was closed, apart from the missing body.
Later the charge was upgraded to capital murder. However Herrington is currently out on a "$250,000 bond since December 2022." Herrington became the prime suspect in the case because of his conversations with Lee the day that missing Ole Miss student disappeared. Additionally, Herrington had Googled, "How long does it take to strangle someone" right before he met with Lee.
Surveillance footage and body fluids are also being taken into account for the case against Herrington. A friend of Lee's spoke about the missing Ole Miss student. Saying that he was "really energetic, nice, and friendly." Lee was also a well-known member of "Oxford's queer community."
Pronounced Dead With No Body
Although no body of the missing Ole Miss student has been found, Lee was still pronounced dead. Daily Mail shares that "typically family members involved in a situation with such uncertainty have to wait seven years until requesting a missing person be declared dead." However due to Zeb Hughes Law that went into effect in July, Lee's family could file the motion to pronounce Lee legally dead.
Although it may seem impossible to prove someone is dead without a body, it is not. Criminal defense attorney Blake Ballin told WREG, "there are many different ways that the state could still prove somebody is dead even though they can't produce a body." While the work will not be easy, it is definitely possible.
