Two individuals were apprehended in Morristown, Tennessee, on charges of concealing the death of an 18-year-old North Carolina man, Amir Hinnant, following a collaborative investigation spanning multiple agencies, law enforcement sources said.
According to the WVLT report, the suspects Jose Bautista and Makaleigh Vick evaded capture by fleeing to Tennessee after an investigation into Hinnant's disappearance led to their identification; they were arrested on Friday without incident. The suspects, along with Michael Proctor who is also charged, were pinpointed through investigative efforts involving the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office and other local authorities, underscoring, as Edgecombe County Sheriff Atkinson stated, "the importance of strong relationships with neighboring agencies."
Hinnant was reported missing on February 24, and his body was found on March 4 in a rural area off NC Highway 481 in Halifax County, following an extensive search, as detailed in a news release by WATE. "Initial investigation indicates that Mr. Hinnant’s death occurred at another location before being disposed in rural Halifax County," the Halifax County officials said in the release.
The involvement of a vehicle in the crime was discerned through the efforts of detectives from the Edgecombe County, Halifax County, and Wilson Police Departments who met on March 6 to review the case and after only two days of discovery were able to track down the suspects' automobile, WBIR reported. Hinnant was last seen alive on February 24, and the subsequent search ended traumatically with the discovery of his remains leading to charges for the trio implicated in his death and concealment.
All three suspects now face charges for concealment of death in both Edgecombe and Halifax counties, however, information regarding the circumstances of Hinnant's demise has not been disclosed to the public as the case remains under investigation.
