NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — A man previously arrested in the abduction of Ahrea’l Smith in Northumberland County has been charged with her murder.
The Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that 50-year-old Tyrone N. Samuel, of Heathsville, Va was charged by a grand jury with 1st-degree murder in connection with Smith’s death. Samuel is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 1.
Samuel was previously arrested on Jan. 15 and charged with Smith’s abduction. Smith went missing on the night of Jan. 12. as she was getting ready to leave her job at the Little Sue Store in Claraville. Her coworkers found her car still running outside the store the next morning.
Lydia Smith, her older sister, has said Ahrea’l texted her about a strange person who was outside the store and made her feel uncomfortable.
On Jan. 18, authorities found a body on a property in Healthsville that matched Smith. The body was taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Richmond for an autopsy.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 804-580-5221.
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