Tyler Hudson, left, and Andrew Maresh, right, were arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Daniel Ray Osborn II, center. / Osborn’s photo courtesy of Facebook; Mugshots courtesy of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office
Click here to listen to Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry's press conference on the investigation, held Tuesday at 2 p.m.:
FAIRVIEW – The body of a Hartselle man who was last seen by his family on Feb. 3, 2018 was found buried in the yard of a home in Fairview Monday afternoon. Two men have been arrested and charged with murder in the case.
Tyler Stephen Hudson, 20, of Baileyton and Andrew Jacob Maresh, 19, of Hartselle were arrested Monday night. They are both being held without bond at the Cullman County Detention Center.
The Tribune broke the story Monday night. Authorities from the Cullman County Sheriff's Office, Hartselle Police Department and Cullman County Coroner's Office were at the scene on County Road 1534 in Fairview. Although Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry and Cullman County Coroner Jeremy L. Kilpatrick would not comment on the case Monday, each saying only, "The investigation is ongoing," multiple sources confirmed to The Tribune that an excavation took place and that a body, believed to be that of Daniel Ray Osborn II, 22, was recovered.
On Tuesday morning, the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “(On) Monday, March 26, 2018, Cullman County Sheriff’s (Office) “CCSO” investigators and Hartselle Police Department investigators responded to an address in the Fairview community, Cullman County. This response was from several weeks of a relentless investigation of a missing person’s case that was initiated in the Hartselle community. Sadly, in the course of the investigation, the victim’s body was discovered buried at the residence.”
The statement said that after the discovery of the victim’s body, investigators, working in conjunction with the Cullman County District Attorney’s Office, continued the investigation throughout the night.
“I would like to commend the hard work and dedication from the Hartselle Investigators and the Investigators from the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office in working this case together. Our prayers go out to the victim’s family during this time of tragedy and loss,” said Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry.
The Hartselle Police Department published the following on its Facebook page late Monday night, confirming that it was Osborn's body found in Fairview:
Today Investigators located the body of Daniel Ray Osborn II near Fairview in Cullman, Alabama. Cullman County Sheriff's Office proceeded with the investigation and charged Tyler Hudson and Andrew Maresh with Murder. This has been a very difficult time for Daniel's family. They would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
-Sgt. McDearmond
According to a Facebook page set up to aid in the search for Osborn, “He was last seen by Family on Feb 3rd. He had last text communication on Feb 16th around 1:20pm. We are not positive that this was him. Missing person report was filed with Hartselle Police Department on Feb 18th. His phone battery also died on Feb 18th. On Feb 20th, Daniel's Car was found in Baileyton, AL. It was found at a junkyard with 1 tire appearing to have been blown out. The tag was missing. On Feb 21st, Daniel's prepaid plan has ran out of mins. So his phone is disconnected.”
The two suspects were members of the Facebook page. On Tuesday, one of the page's members posted: "Wolf in Sheep Clothing. Right under our noses this entire time. Not only were they friends of Daniel Ray Osborn II, but they were also sharing our post(s) and joining our group to 'help find him.'"
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