The body of a deputy in Webster County, Louisiana was found in a shallow grave in a wooded area behind her house on Monday.
Authorities charged 35-year-old Jermaine Johnson with the murder of Deputy Sulyn Prince, according to KSLA-TV.
Louisiana State Police Trooper Matt Harris said Johnson lived in a house behind Prince and that the ongoing investigation could lead to more charges. If convicted on the current charged of second-degree murder, Johnson could serve life in prison without benefit of parole.
The case unfolded after Homer police were called to Prince's house around 8 a.m. following reports that she was missing. Officers found evidence consistent with foul play and state police investigators and forensic scientists were called in to process the scene.
Webster County Chief Deputy Bobby Igo confirmed that Prince was as a master control operator at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center.
Prince was at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional for 10-12 years. Previously she had worked at Claiborne Parish Detention Center at Homer and, before that, David Wade Correctional Center, a Louisiana Corrections Department facility about midway between Homer and Haynesville.
Officer.com will provide more information on this story as it becomes available.