An Alabama woman was strangled by her boyfriend, who then suffered a fatal heart attack while allegedly attempting to move her body into a wooded area, authorities said.
Jessica Folds, 47, and her boyfriend, Daniel Robbins, 44, of Georgia, were found dead near an abandoned vehicle in Chambers County on June 10. Investigators believe Folds was killed sometime in early June.
“He died of a heart attack while doing it,” 5th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mike Segrest told AL.com, referring to Robbins’ alleged attempt to dispose of Folds’ body.
“Their bodies were right there together,” Segrest said. Chambers County sheriff’s deputies were sent to an area along County Road 86 in Lanett at approximately 12:30 p.m. after receiving a report about an abandoned vehicle.
“Upon arrival, deputies located a deceased white female and white male in a wooded area near the vehicle,” the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation joined the investigation, while both bodies were transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for autopsies.
“Based on the investigation … the female victim was strangled, and it appears the male was attempting to dispose of the body in a remote location,”
Authorities said the vehicle was still running when deputies reached the scene. Its driver’s door was open, and the tailgate had been lowered. Investigators also discovered drag marks leading from the truck toward the place in the woods where the bodies were located.
Officials believe Robbins was moving Folds’ body when he collapsed and died from a heart attack. His former wife told Georgia television station WTVM that he had an existing heart condition.
Chambers County Sheriff Jeff Nelson said investigators consider the wooded area a disposal site rather than the place where Folds was killed. The person who first reported the abandoned vehicle also noticed the bodies but initially believed they were mannequins, according to Nelson.
Folds was reportedly discovered with her hands above her head, while Robbins was found in a fetal position. She lived with Robbins only a few miles from where the bodies were located, while Robbins also had ties to Macon, Georgia.
Folds’ obituary described her as a mother of three who “lived and worked many places in the Auburn-Opelika area” of Alabama. “Jessica touched the lives of many with her heart of gold, deep love for everyone, and smile that brightened the world,” the obituary says.
An obituary for Robbins, which was later removed, described him as a father and “country boy” who worked as a farmer and welder, according to AL.com. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive for Folds’ killing.