Murder investigation ongoing
Published 4:38 pm Friday, January 22, 2021
An investigation is ongoing into a murder case involving Lawrence County and Rankin County law enforcement, Lawrence County Sheriff Ryan Everett said Friday.
“I can’t say much because the investigation is ongoing and we’re still conducting interviews into exactly what happened,” Everett said.
Two murder suspects were captured by the U.S. Marshals Service in Lawrence County Tuesday night, after a tip led them to a residence on Henry Cox Road.
The suspects were wanted for the murder of a woman in Rankin County Tuesday morning.
Dantrell Jerome Hunter, 27, of Prentiss, and Ashley Basham, 46, of Hattiesburg, were arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of 38-year-old Ashlei McFarland, of Louin. Following a Tuesday morning 911 call, McFarland was found dead in the 100 block of Conerly Road in Braxton, with head trauma.
Everett confirmed two additional individuals were arrested at the home where the suspects were found and were processed into the Lawrence County Jail. At least one has been charged with harboring fugitives and accessory to first-degree murder after the fact.
Initial court appearances are pending.