WRBL
July 16, 2015
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office is confirming to News 3 that Stacey Gray is in their custody. They say he is suspected in the murder of previously missing Columbus woman Renee Eldridge.
Notasulga Police offficers and Macon County deputies, with the assistance of The U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Recovery Unit found and arrested Gray around 12:45 Tuesday morning. Local residents actually spotted Gray in a yard on Lily Lane in Notasulga before alerting police. Officials say the residents held Gray at gunpoint until he was detained by officers. Gray was found to have a semi-automatic pistol on his person at the time of his arrest. He was handed over to Valley Police, who proceeded to take Gray to Chambers County Detention Facility.
Gray has denied any involvement in the murder, though authorities made the connection from Gray to Eldridge through her mother.
Eldridge originally went missing on July 4th from her home in Columbus. Her body was found in Osanippa Creek in Valley last week. She was discovered to have died from blunt force trauma to the head. Eldridge’s family realized she was missing when her mother came home Saturday morning and found their window screen torn off and the back door open.