TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to a tragic death and homicide.
Communities in New Iberia, Louisiana, have been rocked by the terrible murder of 19-year-old Sheryl M. Turner. Authorities have linked her disappearance to a 29-year-old man she met online. The West Monroe Police Department said in a news release on April 24 that 29-year-old Anthony Holland Jr. is now being charged with murder.
Who is Sheryl M Turner?
Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Department stated that Sheryl M. Turner was last seen by her family on December 31, 2023, before going to Anthony Pierce Holland Jr.'s West Monroe residence.
Turner informed her family that she planned to live with him before moving out after the two engaged in a romantic relationship over text message, according to the West Monroe Police Department.
KLFY-TV reports that Turner's phone was using wifi close to Holland Jr.'s phone, before it stopped working on the evening of January 2. Turner was reported missing on January 3, and her twin sister Sherry stated on a GoFundMe page that "as the days went by we knew something was wrong." The Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Office received a call regarding a body floating in the Ouachita River on January 24, which was almost three weeks later.
On February 23, Turner's remains were identified with the use of a DNA sample from her twin sister Sherry. Holland Jr. was identified as a suspect in the case by forensic data and surveillance, and the West Monroe Police Department carried out a search warrant on his residence on April 23.
During the carry-out of the search warrants at Holland's residence, forensic proof of a violent crime was found. In later interviews, Holland acknowledged that he had killed Turner inside his home. Holland went on to say that he dismembered Turner's body inside his house.
According to Holland, he disposed of Turner's severed body parts in a body of water that flowed into the Ouachita River. According to the department, Holland Jr. was taken into custody without any incident and charged with one count of second-degree murder at the Ouachita Correctional Center.