Two sets of human remains found near a Stockbridge shopping center July 20 have led to two murder charges for the same man, police said Thursday.
Dennis Lane, 41, has now been charged with murder in connection with the death of 19-year-old Conteshia McCoy, Henry County police Capt. Randy Lee said. McCoy’s remains were found near the body of 23-year-old Mirsha Victor of DeKalb County.
Before the bodies were discovered, police arrested Lane, along with his brother Cleounsee Fisher and a third suspect, Ronisha Preckwinkle, on July 9, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Each was charged with murder, among other counts, in connection with Victor’s death. Warrants were obtained based on evidence from Lane’s cellphone.
When Victor’s remains were found nearly two weeks later in the woods near the intersection of Hudson Bridge Road and Oakwood Manor Drive, McCoy’s body was located nearby but remained unidentified for several days. Her identity was later confirmed by the Henry County Coroner’s Office.
A missing person report obtained from the Locust Grove Police Department shows Lane was a person of interest in her disappearance.
McCoy had been missing since Feb. 13, Locust Grove police said. She left her home just before 7:30 p.m. that evening in an Uber, according to the report. She was not carrying a bag.
McCoy’s mother told police that her daughter suffered from bipolar disorder and was off her medication, the report said. McCoy had run away from home before but had remained in contact with her family. Police visited McCoy’s home and spoke with her stepfather, who said they had been in touch with some of McCoy’s friends but none knew her whereabouts.
Investigators also visited the Walmart where McCoy worked and spoke with some of her coworkers, the report said. One of the employees told police that McCoy had been scared when she said an ex-boyfriend came to the store. McCoy told the coworker that her ex-boyfriend was stalking her, the report said. Her coworkers could not give a name or description of the man.
Finally, investigators attempted to locate Lane at the Stockbridge address provided by McCoy’s mother, but he no longer lived there, the report said. McCoy’s mother went to the police station and called Lane with officers present. She asked Lane if he had seen or heard from McCoy, but he said he had not, according to the report.
Henry police are following leads “for any potential additional victims” related to the discovery of Victor and McCoy’s remains, Lee said.
During their initial investigation of Lane’s apartment before he was charged with Victor’s murder, police found “blood on the floor, in the bathroom, and a mattress missing,” according to the incident report. A bloodstained mattress was found in a dumpster across the street from his apartment complex.
Lane is registered as a sex offender and was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault in Illinois, according to the GBI. The 1999 case involved the rape of a 10-year-old girl, Channel 2 Action News reported. After serving a 20-year sentence, Lane was released on parole in May 2019, Illinois court records show.
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