Media

Shelby County Sheriff's Detectives Join in Multi-State Crime Investigation of Murdered Women

Release Date: February 20, 2004

Investigators say the unsolved murders of two Shelby County women in 2001 might be linked to as many as ten other killings in Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. Each of the deaths involved women whose bodies had been found not far from truck stops along interstates and busy highways.

Nancy Alvis Murder Victim 10-01	Patricia Cook Thornton Murder Victim 10-01

“We're investigating the possibility that these cases might be linked based on how the women were killed,” said Sergeant Ray Sides with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. Sergeant Sides will be traveling to Oklahoma next week to share information about the two murders in Shelby County with authorities investigating six murders that have occurred in that state during the past few years.

Sheriff's detectives say Nancy Alvis, 46, was found dead in October, 2001, along a dirt road not far from the Dupont Plant near Highway 51. As investigators were investigating the crime scene, they discovered the body of Patricia Cook Thornton, 37, about 30 feet from Alvis' body. Alvis had been strangled. Investigators say Ms. Thornton had been stabbed. However, since her body was badly decomposed, the exact cause of Ms. Thornton's death was not determined.

Anyone having information about their deaths should call the Shelby County Sheriff's Office Detective Division at 545-5600 or Crimes Stoppers at 528-CASH (2274).