Woman’s body found burning after she left for Facebook Marketplace meetup, US cops say

Though the department noted Fowler left for a Facebook Marketplace meetup before going missing, they cannot confirm whether her death was a result of that meetup at this time, police said. — AFP

A missing woman was found dead and on fire in Alabama after she left to buy something from a seller on Facebook Marketplace, police said.

Jermiera Ivory Fowler, 31, was last seen on May 31 around 4pm in Birmingham, wearing a black dress and sneakers, according to a missing persons alert from the city’s police department.

“Jermiera Fowler has not been seen nor heard from since leaving to meet someone to make a purchase from Facebook (Marketplace),” police said. “She is considered to be in danger.”

Around 9pm on June 1, police received reports of a burning body about six miles from where Fowler had last been seen.

Police and firefighters found a woman’s body still on fire and worked to extinguish the flames, according to a video release from the Birmingham Police Department.

“Officers observed visible signs of trauma on the victim,” Officer Truman Fitzgerald said in the video. “Currently, we are investigating this case as a homicide.”

Medical examiners later identified the body as Fowler and said she had been shot before being set on fire, AL.com reported.

Though the department noted Fowler left for a Facebook Marketplace meetup before going missing, they cannot confirm whether her death was a result of that meetup at this time, police said.

Fowler was a mother of two, AL.com reported.

“My (daughter’s friend’s) mom left her home in Kingston about 5.30 last night to buy an item and never made it back home,” a friend posted on Facebook. “She would not abandon her kids and she is a great mother to her children.”

The investigation is ongoing, and police have not identified any suspects. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service