The cause of death has been revealed in the case of missing Clark Atlanta University student Alexis Crawford. Two suspects have also been arrested and charged with murder after one of the suspects led police to her body.
Barron Brantley, 21, was arrested Friday night for allegedly killing the 21-year-old student. Crawford had been reported missing since Nov. 1 and was last seen on Oct. 30, according to Atlanta Police Department. Brantley’s girlfriend and Crawford’s roommate, 21-year-old Jordyn Jones, was taken into custody on Saturday afternoon and charged with malice murder. It was Jones who led authorities to her roommate’s body, which was located in a suburban Atlanta park in DeKalb County.
Crawford’s cause of death, according to a tweet from WSB TV, was asphyxiation. No further details are available surrounding Crawford’s manner of death, however, police believe Brantley is responsible for her death.
Brantley, who describes himself as an artist on his primary Instagram account, waived his first court appearance, which was due to take place Saturday morning. He is set to face a Fulton County Superior Court judge on Nov. 22. He currently is being held at the Fulton County Jail without bond.
This is the latest in a string of run-ins with the law for Brantley. He has a prior charge for hindering a person from making an emergency telephone call. He’s also violated probation stemming from past charges of theft by taking, battery – family violence and cruelty to children in the third degree. Similar charges to the battery and cruelty to children charges were filed against Brantley in September 2018. They were in addition to several traffic charges that include an arrest for “fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer” months prior.
Meanwhile, no motive for Crawford’s killing has been established. However, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said in a news conference Friday that Crawford had filed a sexual assault report against Brantley alleging unwanted kissing and touching a mere three days before Crawford disappeared. The alleged incident occurred on Oct. 26 inside Crawford and Jones’ apartment. Jones was present when it is said to have happened and saw her roommate passed out in the bathroom, according to 11 Alive.
In a police report obtained by 11 Alive, Crawford “stated that the suspect rubbed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the neck. The victim stated that she asked the suspect what was he doing and he stated he thought she was Ms. Jones.”
Crawford appeared to black out at some point and has no memory of Brantley “being in the restroom with her before she blacked out.”
At some point, Jones went looking for her boyfriend when she noticed the bathroom door was closed and “started knocking on the door repeatedly. The suspect came to the door with his shirt off and stated to the witness that he had not had sex with the victim,” the report read. Jones noticed Crawford was undressed.
Police said Jones was the last person to see Crawford alive. Jones told authorities she drove her roommate, who slept in the living room after no longer being comfortable in her own bed, to a local liquor store. The next morning, according to Jones, Crawford, who was no longer on speaking terms with Jones, was gone.
Rev. Markel Hutchins, who CNN reports is advising Crawford’s extensive family, shared how the justice and criminology student’s family is holding up following their daughter’s alleged murder.
“Alexis’ mother was literally unable to speak. All that she could do was listen as I tried to console and comfort her,” Hutchins said. “Alexis’ father said, ‘If they wanted to take somebody’s life they could have taken mine. They didn’t have to kill my baby, they didn’t have to kill her.'”
