Alabama Mechanic Accused of Murdering Mom Who Entered Auto Shop

An Alabama mother who vanished over the weekend while reportedly searching for a vehicle to buy for her son was allegedly murdered by a mechanic at an auto body shop she visited.

After days of searching for Michelle Whitaker Hough, 54, the Russell County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that her body had been found. Her remains were found in Hatchechubbee, about 20 miles from where she was last seen in Seale, WSFA 12 reported, citing a local prosecutor.

Just hours before the grim discovery of Hough’s body, authorities revealed that she was presumed dead after her vehicle was found torched late Sunday. Investigators were able to determine from Hough’s last cell-phone pings that she’d been in the vicinity of an auto body shop in Phenix City earlier that day—and nearby surveillance footage showed her Chevy Equinox pulling into the shop on Sunday afternoon, police said.

But she never came back out.

Now, Kenneth Lawhorn, the owner of the body shop, is charged in her murder.

“He has done work on her vehicles, and she was engaged with him about finding a vehicle for her son,’’ Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor was quoted telling local media. “The extent of their relationship we’re still looking into, but they did know each other.”

“We know that she arrived at his job, and never left,’’ he added.

Lawhorn was initially charged with theft of property and arson after surveillance footage showed him loading up Hough’s Equinox on a trailer and driving off with it before it was found burned, authorities said. The charges were upgraded with the discovery of Hough’s body.

It was not immediately clear what led investigators to find her remains. Lawhorn was described as “uncooperative,” though Taylor said police were pretty sure he had “disposed of the body.”

Hough’s family and friends had said all along that she never would’ve disappeared unless something had happened to her.

“She’s got a son, and a daughter, and she has a husband and they have been married for 28 years I do believe,” one of her co-workers was quoted telling WSFA-12.