A pregnant mother of three was tragically killed in her home in Kentucky, and police reported her unborn child was missing from her body.
April Barlow Celio, 41, was discovered dead in her residence in Pineville on September 23. Medical examiners made the unsettling finding the following day, revealing she had been pregnant, yet the fetus was absent, as per police reports.
Following the initial discovery, investigators returned to the house and allegedly retrieved what appeared to be fetal remains, according to the police.
Authorities identified DeMarcus Kenneth Johnson-Wright as a suspect. He has a significant history of violent crimes and several active felony warrants out of Tennessee, though police did not provide details on how he might be linked to the case.
A warrant was first issued for his arrest on September 25 for kidnapping and robbery, followed by additional charges for murder and tampering with evidence on September 30.
Johnson-Wright was eventually located at a residence in Clarksville, Tennessee, approximately 250 miles away from where the murder occurred.
Upon his arrest, investigators found items related to the case in his Tennessee home, though specifics were not disclosed.
As of now, officials have not indicated how Celio or her unborn child met their fate. While they haven’t clarified the connection to Johnson-Wright, he faces charges tied to domestic violence-related murder.
Johnson-Wright already had outstanding warrants for various charges, including aggravated robbery, kidnapping, illegal firearm possession, and prior incidents of domestic violence.
In response to this tragedy, Celio’s sister, Amanda de Paz, started a GoFundMe campaign to support her sister’s three children who are now grappled with the painful reality and numerous questions surrounding their mother’s violent death.
“She deserved so much more life. She was an incredibly loving person who would do anything for the people she cared about,” the grieving sister expressed, emphasizing the deep love Celio had for her family and friends.
Currently, Johnson-Wright is being held at the Montgomery County Detention Center in Tennessee, awaiting extradition to Kentucky. The circumstances surrounding Celio’s murder remain unclear.
