THOMASTON, Ga — A man is accused of killing his girlfriend and placing her body in a suitcase, hiding it in the closet of the Middle Georgia apartment they shared, authorities said.
Frederick Bernard Durham, 61, of Thomaston, was arrested in Atlanta on Saturday, WSB-TV reported. He was charged with felony murder, concealing a death, tampering with evidence, and theft by taking a motor vehicle, according to the Upson Beacon newspaper in Thomaston.
Durham is accused in the death of Margret Dubignon, 56, of Thomaston, known as “Mellow Yellow,” the newspaper reported.
According to Thomaston Police Chief Mike Richardson, officers responded to a missing persons report at about 7:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday at Thomaston Gardens Apartments, the Upson Beacon reported.
Family members said they had not spoken with Dubignon since the previous Thursday.
Police officers were about to place Dubignon on the Georgia Crime Information Center as a missing person when officers were called back to the apartment at about 9 a.m. EDT, WSB reported.
Family members had found a body believed to be Dubignon inside a large suitcase in a closet of her apartment, according to the television station.
According to Thomaston police, Durham allegedly took Dubignon’s vehicle, WSB reported.
The vehicle was tracked by a Flock camera by the Georgia State Patrol and the Atlanta Police Department, and Durham was taken into custody at an undisclosed location in Atlanta on Saturday at about 3 p.m. EDT, the Upson Beacon reported.
The victim's family had reported her missing on Thursday. https://t.co/4eEdMfyz7U
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) October 22, 2023
“This was a horrific crime and an extremely painful event, yet the family, in spite of their emotions, were incredibly composed, supportive and cooperative throughout today’s investigation,” the Thomaston Police Department wrote in a Facebook post. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
Durham was being held without bail in the Upson County jail, according to Upson County Sheriff’s Office online booking records. Durham appeared before a judge on Monday, a Thomaston police investigator told The Associated Press by telephone.
