(NewsNation) — Alabama police are searching for the boyfriend of a slain doctoral student and professional dancer who disappeared July 4 and was found dead Saturday.
The Jefferson County Coroner and Medical Examiner’s Office in Alabama ruled 31-year-old Deundray Cottrell’s death a homicide. The Birmingham Police Department is now asking the public for help finding Cottrell’s boyfriend, Julian Morris, whom investigators called a person of interest.
Cottrell was visiting Alabama from Atlanta for the Fourth of July at the time of his death, his family told NewsNation Tuesday. He went inside to check on a family dog during the fireworks, and an hour later, Morris reportedly told the man’s family the 31-year-old had left out a window and taken off, Cottrell’s sister Angelica Cottrell told NewsNation.
“It was really (Morris’) sense of calmness, his lack of urgency,” Angelica Cottrell said. “He was so laid back, and he didn’t display any of the fear or anything that family members were displaying at that time. He was just nonchalant, calm, and nothing that he said made sense.”
Morris was the last person to see and hear from Cottrell, a police spokesperson said. The department had not announced any criminal charges in connection to Cottrell’s death as of Wednesday afternoon.
Officers searching the area the next day found clothes they believed belonged to Cottrell, and a neighbor provided surveillance footage of Cottrell walking in the area.
Officers discovered his body just before 3 p.m. in a detached shed of a vacant house, according to local reports citing police.
Cottrell’s brother said the Atlanta dancer died by strangulation. NewsNation could not independently confirm that information. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office had not released a cause of death as of Wednesday, and police declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
Police asked anyone with information about Morris’ whereabouts to call 911 or contact Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Crime Stopper tips are anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of as much as $5,000, according to the Birmingham Police Department.