Pregnant 19-year-old’s body found a week after she disappeared in Florida, cops say
UPDATE: An additional capital murder charge has been added to Marquis McCloud’s existing charges for the death of Gilley’s unborn child, Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza said in a May 17 press conference streamed by WTVY. Valenza said the investigation is ongoing and more charges may be added.
The original story is below.
The search for a missing 19-year-old Florida woman ended after a body was found near an Alabama town, authorities announced.
Anastasia Gilley, who was four months pregnant, was last seen on May 3 in her north Florida home, according to a Facebook post from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Her older sister, Crystal Taylor, said in a Facebook post someone had heard a scream from Gilley’s home around 10:30 p.m. on May 3 and Gilley’s phone and purse were found on the floor of her home.
Taylor added that Gilley didn’t show up for work and missed a doctor’s appointment.
Family members told WJHG that they normally talked to Gilley multiple times a day, and it was unusual to not hear from her.
“She’s a spit fire, she’s a social butterfly and all around a good girl,” Gilley’s aunt, Shana Sheawa, told WJHG.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office began investigating her disappearance, and their inquiry “quickly led to the arrest of an Alabama man,” according to a news release posted on Facebook May 10.
Deputies said the man had been in custody for multiple days but had been “uncooperative throughout this entire investigation,” according to the news release.
Early in the morning on May 10, authorities found the body of a deceased woman outside Headland, Alabama, about an hour north of Gilley’s home, according to the news release.
“Investigators believe this to be the body of Anastasia Gilley, pending an autopsy,” deputies said.
The man in custody, identified by police as Marquis Devan McCloud, was charged with capital murder during kidnapping in the first degree, according to an update on the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office May 10 post.
Headland is about 110 miles southeast of Montgomery.
This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 1:24 PM.
