BY ANITA STIEFEL, MANAGING EDITOR
AUBURN/OPELIKA — Local police had a busy week, with murders and manhunts following incidents in both Auburn and Opelika.
WOMAN SUSPECTED OF STABBING DEATH
Opelika Police spent the weekend searching for 35-year-old Tempest Vanshay Reese in connection with a stabbing death that occurred early Sunday morning.
According to an OPD press release, the incident occurred on July 13 at approximately 12:30 a.m. Officers responded to an assault in the 600 Block of Comanchee Drive. At the scene, officers located a crashed vehicle with the female driver suffering from stab wounds. The victim, Janiah Thomas, 22, of Opelika was transported to East Alabama Medical Center but did not survive the injuries. The body will be transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for a postmortem exam. OPD is investigating the events leading up to the death.
On July 13 at approximately 8 p.m., Reese turned herself in to OPD. She was arrested on murder charges and is being held in the Lee County Jail.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the OPD Detective Division at (334) 705-5220 or the Secret Witness Hotline at (334) 745-8665. Tips can also be submitted through the Opelika Police Mobile App.
Man arrested for double murder, kidnapping
On Thursday, July 10, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Auburn Police officers were called to conduct a welfare check at a residence located in the 1200 block of Samantha Court. Upon arrival, officers found two deceased females — one adult and the other a juvenile.
Officers were informed a young child was missing from the home and suspected of being in imminent danger. An Amber Alert was issued for three-year-old Jibreel Harun, who was believed to have been kidnapped by his father, Aaron Dontay Williams.
Williams was identified as the husband of the deceased adult and was suspected in the double homicide. Auburn Police were joined by the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and other agencies in a manhunt to locate Williams, warning the public he was armed and dangerous.
Authorities located the suspect’s vehicle in Giles County, Tennessee, and additional law enforcement agencies responded to the area.
At approximately 7:15 a.m. on Friday, July 11, Williams was taken into custody without incident. The missing child was also located unharmed and reunited with family. Williams was taken to the Giles County Jail to await extradition back to Auburn, where he is expected to face murder, kidnapping and other charges.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the APD Investigations Section at (334) 501-3140.
According to a press release, “The Auburn Police Department would like to thank the United States Marshals Service, the FBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Alabama Fusion Center, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Giles County Sheriff’s Office, Huntsville Community Corrections, the Huntsville SWAT Team, the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Parole, the Elkton Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Central Alabama Crime Stoppers and the entire Auburn community for all of the assistance they provided to this investigation.”
TWO charged WITH MURDER, ATTEMPED MURDER, ROBBERY
On Thursday, July 10, at approximately 10:40 p.m., Opelika Police responded to a shooting in the 700 Block of Herndon Street, where officers found three victims suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lee County Coroner’s Office. Two other victims were transported to area hospitals for treatment. Their condition was not made public.
The Lee County Coroner’s office identified the deceased as 20-year-old Deon Monzel Daniel of Pike Road.
OPD arrested Kentravious Rashaun Lark, 18, of Tuskegee and Maturius Maurice Daniel, 35, of Pike Road on charges of murder, attempted murder, first degree burglary and first degree robbery.
According to a press release from OPD, the preliminary investigation indicates Daniel, Lark and Davis were involved in a robbery at the residence on Herndon Street. During the incident, gunfire was exchanged between the resident and the three suspects, resulting in the Daniel’s death.
This case remains under investigation by OPD. Anyone with information is asked to call the Detective Division at (334) 705-5220 or the Secret Witness Hotline at (334) 745-8665. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Opelika Police Mobile App.
