From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — The person found dead in a wooded area near St. Vincent’s East has been identified.
Jefferson County Coroner Bill Yates said Kellie Ann Hughes, 31, was found in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 14.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene near 50 Medical Park Drive East. A source said the investigation could be related to a possible kidnapping in which the victim called 911 from Shadowood Apartments in the Center Point area.
According to Chief Deputy David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, at 4:42 p.m., a woman called 911 to report that she was being held against her will at some apartments in Center Point.
Deputies tracked her phone to the apartments located at 30 Shadowood Circle.
“When deputies arrived, they observed a woman falling down the stairs with her hands bound together by zip ties,” Agee said. “The woman had visible injuries and was treated on the scene by paramedics and later transported to the hospital.”
As detectives investigated this crime, it was discovered that the victim had knowledge of a homicide that had occurred and that this is possibly the reason she was kidnapped, according to Agee.
“This information led detectives to search a wooded area off Medical Park Drive East,” Agee said. “After an extensive search, they discovered the body of a white female in a secluded area. The area was secured until daylight when the body could be removed.”
Evidence technicians processed the crime scene and Hughes’ body was transported to the Coroner’s Office for examination. The coroner said Hughes has family in Alabama, but he is not sure where she resided.
“Sheriff’s Detectives have identified the suspects in this offense and we are tracking their location,” Agee said.
Birmingham Police, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Center Point Fire and Rescue and Trussville Fire and Rescue responded to the scene.
