Crash Alert Helped Family Find Northport Woman’s Dumped Body

A crash alert from a safety app helped loved ones find the cell phone and eventually the remains of a missing Northport woman allegedly dumped in Greene County by a Tuscaloosa man.

As the Thread has previously reported, Northport's Karen Deann Hollis was reported missing on May 8th, and the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit was called on to assist with the search after circumstances suggested foul play was involved.

According to new court documents filed on Monday, Randall Lendell Dejourney, the Tuscaloosa man accused of leaving her body in Greene County, was captured on security cameras visiting her Northport apartment.

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Documents say he was also seen later leaving the residence, carrying a large tote that appeared to contain a black bag.

Family members then received a notification from her Life360 app suggesting Hollis, the missing woman, may have been in a car accident. They later found her cell phone discarded on Interstate 20/59 West.

Police used more cell data obtained through a search warrant to discover that Dejourney drove from Hollis’ residence to Knoxville, Alabama, in Greene County, then traveled back east.

Family members soon discovered Hollis in the area near that exit, 10-15 feet off the roadway, documents allege. She was "encased" in a large black trash bag, according to the deposition, a visual match to the one in the tote Dejourney was carrying on camera.

Right now, the 44-year-old Tuscaloosa man has only been charged with abuse of a corpse for allegedly leaving Hollis on the side of the road. Her body has been taken to an Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences lab for autopsy to determine the cause of death.

If that implicates Dejourney, his charges may be upgraded accordingly.

He was placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where his bond has been set at $15,000 - for now.

For more exclusive coverage of crime and courts in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.