New details emerge in kidnapping, murder of man found buried in Harrison County woods
Three people are facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly participating in the armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder of a Hinds County man who was reported missing in December 2022.
Harrison County sheriff’s deputies initially arrested Angel May Pierce, 21, of Biloxi; and Jerry Cornelious Parkman, 25, of Pass Christian; for their involvement in the killing of Cody Vanderra Smith, 23, of Byram.
A third suspect, Alexis Preston, has been taken into custody. He was booked at the Harrison County jail on Oct. 1.
A Harrison County grand jury charged all three with armed robbery, kidnapping, first-degree murder, and tampering with physical evidence.
Additionally, Preston faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a shotgun in this case. He was previously convicted of burglary in 2007 in Harrison County.
Parkman also faces an additional charge of receiving stolen property in connection with a separate case from September 2022 in Harrison County.
Hinds County sheriff’s investigators began the investigation but reached out to Mississippi Coast authorities to investigate in March 2023 after learning that Smith had last been seen there.
An extensive search for Smith’s remains was conducted.
Harrison County investigators, Harrison Fire Rescue, Gulf Coast Search and Rescue, and Long Beach crime scene investigators eventually found Smith’s body covered with debris in a wooded area off Elmer Ladner Road in Pass Christian in April 2023.
According to charging documents, the three suspects are accused of robbing Smith at gunpoint, stealing his 2005 Hyundai Elantra, killing him, and hiding his body in the woods. The crimes occurred over the Fourth of July weekend in 2022.
Preston was arrested as a fugitive in April 2023 at a residence in Pensacola, records show. He was extradited to Harrison County this month.
All three suspects remain in custody in Harrison County.
This story was originally published October 11, 2024 at 8:56 AM.
