Authorities said the 23-year-old Northport woman was found in Greene County eight days after she was reported missing.
TUSCALOOSA, AL — A Tuscaloosa man has been charged with murder in the death of Karen DeAnn Hollis, a 23-year-old Northport woman whose remains were found May 16 along Interstate 20 in Greene County, authorities said.
Randall Lendell Dejourney, 44, was first charged with abuse of a corpse after Hollis’ body was discovered. Investigators later upgraded the case after a preliminary autopsy found that Hollis died from asphyxiation and that her death was a homicide. The case is now moving from a missing person search into a murder prosecution, with investigators citing physical evidence, witness accounts and electronic records gathered through search warrants.
Hollis was reported missing to Northport police on May 8 after she was last seen around midnight near 43rd Avenue in Northport. Officials said early in the search that Hollis was believed to have a condition that could impair her judgment. Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit said investigators quickly suspected foul play and began working with Northport police on the case. “The preliminary autopsy determined the cause of death was asphyxiation,” Kennedy said at a news conference, adding that the finding was the main basis for the upgraded charge.
Authorities said Hollis’ phone was recovered early in the investigation, but it was found about 10 to 12 miles from where her remains were later located. Investigators said they reviewed phone activity from Northport into Greene County and searched areas tied to known travel routes. Her body was found on the afternoon of May 16 after family members and friends searched an area identified through electronic evidence. Jessie Dixon, who said he helped locate the remains, told a television station that he and two others had been driving along I-20 East for hours before finding the body near Knoxville, about two miles from the Tuscaloosa County line.
Dejourney was identified as a person of interest before the remains were found, authorities said. After the discovery, detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit arrested him on the corpse abuse charge. Officials later said Hollis’ body appeared to have been left in the median area of an active interstate, hidden by tall grass and not visible from the roadway. Investigators have not released a suspected motive. They said Hollis and Dejourney appeared to know each other, but they did not believe the two were in a romantic relationship. Authorities have not said whether Dejourney has entered a plea.
Hollis’ family said they had seen Dejourney the day before she was reported missing while helping Hollis move out of her apartment at Georgetown Apartments in Northport. Brandi Hollis, Karen’s sister, said the family has struggled since the search ended in grief. “She didn’t deserve this at all,” Brandi Hollis said. Lori Hollis, Karen’s mother, said her daughter had asked relatives to help remove her belongings from the apartment. Family members said Dejourney told them he was taking over the lease, but investigators have not publicly confirmed the full nature of that arrangement.
The search drew in Northport police, the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County authorities and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Officials said multiple search warrants produced physical, witness and electronic evidence. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County District Attorney’s Office and Greene County coroner assisted after the body was found. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences handled the autopsy work that led investigators to classify the case as a homicide.
Before the murder charge was announced, Dejourney’s bond on the abuse of a corpse charge had been set at $15,000. Authorities later said the murder case falls under Aniah’s Law, which allows prosecutors to seek detention without bond in certain violent felony cases. Dejourney is being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond, officials said. The investigation remains open, and authorities said more findings could be released as forensic work, court filings and interviews continue.
As of Friday, investigators had not announced a next court date in public reports. The case now stands as a homicide prosecution tied to an eight-day search that began in Northport and ended along I-20 in Greene County.
Author note: Last updated May 22, 2026.