As of press time on Wednesday, at least one person has been arrested in relation to the disappearance and death of Christian Moore, whose family reported him missing last week.
Family members reported that Moore had not been seen since around 1:00 a.m. the morning of Thursday, July 11. Friends and family responded with an outpouring of concern on social media, sharing Moore’s photo thousands of times in hopes of finding him.
A burned 1999 Chevrolet Silverado was found in Dallas County on Thursday, the same day Moore went missing. Dallas County Sheriff’s Department had the vehicle towed and impounded, but did not check inside for several more days. When news of Moore’s disappearance reached that department, deputies checked the vehicle and discovered charred human remains on Sunday, according to a statement posted by Fourth Judicial Circuit District Attorney Robert H. Turner, Jr., whose office will oversee any criminal prosecutions in the case.
Dallas County Sheriff’s Department and Perry County Sheriff’s Department announced publicly on Monday that a burned body, believed to be Moore’s, had been found with the truck.
According to court records that were not released to the public until the following day, Dallas Counties arrested one suspect, 24-year-old Atravis Arlexus Thomas of Valley Grande, on three charges related to Moore’s disappearance, also on Monday.
AL.com, which first reported the arrest, identified Thomas as “Aravis Arlexus Thomas,” a man. However court filings and other charging documents identify the suspect as female, with the name Atravis.
The criminal complaint filed against Thomas in Dallas County District Criminal Court under the case numbers 27-DC-2024-900316 and 27-WR-2024-900337, charges her with abuse of a corpse and first-degree criminal mischief, both felonies, and tampering with physical evidence, a misdemeanor.
The complaint goes on to accuse Thomas of “plac[ing] Moore’s body in the passenger seat of his truck and set[ting] it on fire.” It also says there was blood in Thomas’ Valley Grande residence, and that Thomas attempted to destroy that evidence, along with attempting to burn Moore’s body and any and all evidence on his person and vehicle.
Court records showed that, as of press time, Thomas was still being held in Dallas County Jail on a $36,000.00 bond. Officers indicated that the incident was still under investigation and further arrests may be forthcoming.
Moore, 23, was a resident of western Perry County near the Newbern area. He was well-known in Marion, having worked in the meat department at FoodValu supermarket for a number of years.
Numerous friends, family, and acquaintances have made an outpouring of support for the Moore and Ward families on social media as the news of Moore’s death became public.
