Man vanishes checking on dog during fireworks, family says. Then body found in shed

The search for a man who disappeared from his family’s Fourth of July party ended with the discovery of his body in an abandoned shed, Alabama authorities said.

Deundray Cottrell, 31, was visiting his family from Atlanta with his boyfriend for the holiday, according to the Birmingham Police Department and relatives.

His sister, Angelica Harris, told AL.com that during the party at her home, her brother was worried about how his dog was faring with the fireworks, so he headed upstairs.

“He went and checked on the dog and I never saw him again,’’ Harris told the outlet.

Police said Cottrell left the home on foot, and the last person who may have seen him was his 31-year-old boyfriend. He’s now a person of interest in the investigation, according to police.

Friends and family began searching for Cottrell and later reported him missing, police said. As investigators joined in the search, they found some of his clothes in the area, and a community member shared surveillance video showing Cottrell on foot, according to police.

“It looked like he was looking for refuge,’’ Harris told AL.com. “He was running for his life.”

Then, the afternoon of July 6, Cottrell’s body was found in a shed behind an abandoned home, according to Jefferson County Coroner Bill Yates.

An autopsy determined his manner of death was homicide, but Yates said his office isn’t sharing the cause of death due to the investigation.

That same day, police put out a call for help locating Cottrell’s boyfriend.

“The events leading up to his disappearance are in fact suspicious, that’s why we really need the community’s help with this case,” Officer Truman Fitzgerald said during a news conference broadcast by WBRC.

Cottrell’s friends and family shared tributes to the Atlanta resident in the wake of his death, saying no one could ever replace him.

“Our bond stayed strong and no one could test that,” a loved one wrote on Facebook. “You pushed me to become a better man by teaching me things that I never learned when growing up. We were each other’s Yin and Yang.”

Another longtime friend described him as “such a beautiful soul.”

“You helped me get through so many dark times and more importantly, helped me learn to be myself when I felt like an outcast,” his friend wrote on Facebook. “You taught me to find my lane and taught me it was okay to beat to my own drum.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Birmingham Police Department.

This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Man vanishes checking on dog during fireworks, family says. Then body found in shed."