Body found on US 231 bridge leads to homicide charge for Arab resident
Jun. 2—A man from Arab is being charged with murder after investigators in Morgan County and Madison County located and identified a body on the U.S. 231 bridge in Lacey's Spring on Friday, according to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.
Daniel Ray Shelton, 55, is being charged with murder in the death of Arab resident 39-year-old David Merrit. Shelton was being held in the Madison County Jail with no bail, charged with homicide and abuse of a corpse.
The Sheriff's Office said the Madison County coroner told them Merrit's body was discovered in a blanket on the side of the road near the guard rail.
On Saturday, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office SWAT team along with Morgan County and Huntsville investigators served a search warrant at a residence on Seagrove Road in Lacey's Spring. The Sheriff's Office said Shelton was not present and was located on Sunday.
Morgan County Sheriff's Office Investigators, Huntsville Police Department, Arab police and the Marshall County Sheriff's Office assisted during the investigation, according to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.
— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.
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