The Autauga County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) charged two men with corpse abuse after finding a body in a storage unit in Prattville.
The ACSO obtained abuse of corpse warrants for Michael Barrett and his acquaintance, Edward Norman, on July 12, after searching a storage unit that Barrett owned. In the unit, they found the body of a woman, who they believe to be missing person Britta Ann Lashley.
On June 15, the ACSO received a call from Lashley’s mother, who was concerned about Lashley. Police said she had not heard from her daughter since February 2021. Police said Lashley’s mother believed “something bad” had happened to her daughter, who was 36 at the time. Lashley was last known to be with Barrett.
After hearing from Lashley’s mother, the ACSO filed a missing person report.
On July 12, the sheriff's office obtained a search warrant for a storage unit in Prattville, which belonged to Barrett. They uncovered the remains, which they believed to be Lashley’s, due to her physical description, known tattoos and other investigative findings.
An autopsy was performed on July 13 by the Department of Forensic Sciences, but the results are pending.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com.
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