On Saturday, June 30, the DeKalb County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office received a tip about a possible murder that had happened approximately two months ago.
When deputies went to a residence on Road 9095 in Valley Head to talk to the suspected killer, Marcus Gordon Ricketts, 22, of Valley Head, Ricketts confessed to the murder and led Deputies and Investigators to a body that was buried in the woods behind the residence.
Ricketts was arrested and charged with murder.
The investigation is still ongoing as the sheriff's department awaits identification of the body from Alabama Department of Forensic Science.
“This subject has been missing since May and a missing person report was filed," said DeKalb Sheriff Jimmy Harris. "We received information that this person had been possibly stabbed or struck with a blunt object, stuffed in a 55-gallon drum that was sealed at both ends and poured with loose concrete. It only took a short amount of time to locate the barrel."
The sheriff said his department had received a great deal of assistance from its deputies and investigators, the DeKalb District Attorney’s office, Mark Hopwood from the Department of Forensic Science at Jacksonville State University, the Sylvania Police Department and various agencies, and thanked them all for their hard work.
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