Miller County prosecutors have filed formal charges against a man accused of burying his girlfriend in a shallow grave after stabbing her to death in March.
Tony Earl Taylor, 57, is facing charges of murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in the death of 35-year-old Crystal Reed.
Reed's mother reported her missing in early March. The mother told Texarkana, Ark., police investigators her daughter had uncharacteristically missed work and couldn't be reached on her phone, according to a probable-cause affidavit used to create the following account.
Texarkana, Texas, police collected moving blankets, a shovel, rubber boots and dirty gloves from a backyard on Pine Street on March 8 after receiving a report that Taylor had left the items there. The blankets appeared to be stained with blood.
On the same day, Texarkana, Ark., police went to unit 127 at the Smith Keys Apartments in Texarkana, Ark., where Reed lived with Taylor. The resident of the apartment below Reed's told officers Taylor had "threatened to kill everyone at the apartment" during a disturbance March 4. Officers entered the apartment with a key from the apartment manager when knocking on the door brought no response. Fearing that Reed might be incapacitated and in need of help, detectives entered and noticed it "appeared very clean."
"While on scene detectives found evidence that caused them to believe something had occurred in the residence," the affidavit states.
Search warrant documents show crime scene analysts collected a large amount of evidence from the apartment, including furniture, rugs, tile, door knobs and other items possibly stained with blood. Kitchen knives, a box cutter and a machete were collected as well.
Taylor was interviewed at the Bi-State Justice Building in downtown Texarkana by detectives Jason Haak and Wayne Easley. After allegedly confessing to stabbing Reed with a knife and burying her body in a heavily wooded area on a hunting lease in Ogden, Ark., Taylor led officers to Reed's body.
Crime scene detectives removed an industrial-size orange bag, which was opened at a local funeral home to determine if it contained human remains, after excavating an area of recently disturbed earth. Reed was tentatively identified, and the body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for autopsy.
Taylor faces 10 to 40 years or life in prison if convicted of murder. If found guilty of abuse of a corpse, Taylor faces three to 10 years and a fine up to $10,000. If convicted of tampering with physical evidence, Taylor faces up to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
Taylor is currently being held in the Miller County jail. Bail is set at $750,000. The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Carlton Jones. Taylor is expected to appear for arraignment later this month.