Body found in Grand Prairie confirmed to be missing Collin County woman Kayla Kelley
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a body found in Grand Prairie on Wednesday night as Kayla Kelley, the 33-year-old Collin County woman who went missing more than a week ago.
Collin County sheriff’s deputies had arrested Ocastor Ferguson, 32, who was accused of kidnapping Kelley and on Friday they said he will be charged with her murder. Ferguson’s house is about a mile away from the site where authorities found her body, near Prairie Oak Boulevard and Hollow Drive.
The medical examiner said Kelley’s body was found in a “clandestine grave, wooded area.” An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of her death.
Kelley went missing after she found out Ferguson had been dating her under a fake name, telling her his name was Kevin Brown, and she found out that he is married, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. While authorities were searching for Kelley, police in Frisco discovered her car burned on a deserted county road.
Ferguson’s car was reported stolen by his wife and police said they found it parked near Kelley’s McKinney home. There were gloves, duct tape and a blanket inside his car, KDFW-TV reported.
Kelley’s friends said that, while she was reported missing Jan. 11, they hadn’t seen her in days, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Ferguson was arrested on a charge of kidnapping during the investigation and was being held on $1 million bond. Court records show that a murder charge was added on Friday. He also has been charged with arson in connection with the burned car.
Ferguson has denied that he know what happened to Kelley, according to police.
Jail records did not list an attorney for Ferguson.
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 4:09 PM.