Body of Missing California Woman Discovered Behind Secret Wall
The body of a California woman who went missing has tragically been found concealed behind a “secret wall” in a home known for hoarding tendencies, where authorities had previously searched.
Renia Lewis, last seen on a Friday, was discovered on Tuesday behind an entrance that led to the attic of a residence in Vallejo, according to the Vallejo Police Department.
Investigators had visited the property a few days earlier, prompted by indications that she might be there. However, after a thorough search of the house, including closets and other hiding spots, there were no signs of her.
On Tuesday, armed with a search warrant, detectives returned and found Lewis’s body in the attic space.
“My baby girl was hiding behind the wall, so it was easy to miss her,” said her cousin, Latoya Luis, who expressed how difficult it was to fathom the situation. The family noted that the home resembled a hoarding site, complicating the search further.
Later that same day, officers arrested Douglas Irwin Shaw, 41, though they did not disclose how he was connected to Lewis’s death or the circumstances surrounding it.
According to the police, Shaw gave a statement to detectives admitting to his involvement in this horrific crime.
Lewis’s mother, Terri, was understandably devastated upon hearing the news of her daughter’s discovery. “We were on our way there, and I just prayed,” she recalled. “I prayed, but it seemed like my prayers went unanswered.”
Family members, including her mother, had been searching the area themselves and even found a phone on the roof of a nearby school, unaware of the grim reality that lay behind the wall.
Shaw has since been charged with murder and is currently in custody at the Solano County Jail. However, the specific connection between Lewis, Shaw, and the circumstances of her death remains unclear.
“He needs to sit there and suffer for this,” one relative expressed, reflecting the family’s pain and outrage.
