A Texas woman is facing accusations of assisting her friend in disposing of a flight attendant’s body. This allegation stems from a voicemail, said to be from a butt dial, that reportedly detailed their plan to cover up the crime.
Joni Thomas, 62, has been charged with tampering with evidence related to the suspected murder of 47-year-old Rana Nofal Soluri.
Reports suggest that Thomas had a connection to Dennis William Day, the suspected murderer.
Authorities allege that Day, who is 66, called Thomas and arrived at her pickup truck after fatally attacking Soluri in the kitchen of a home in Fort Worth. Subsequently, they are said to have transported Soluri’s body to Bowie, around 70 miles away, where they disposed of it from a bridge.
During their investigation, detectives found a voicemail on Thomas’s phone that seems to capture the aftermath of the incident, including voices discussing the movement of heavy items.
The affidavit mentions that the recording includes a male voice saying, “Hey… help me,” “Make sure the lid is on,” and “I messed up you.”
When questioned initially, Thomas denied knowing anything about the crime and claimed Day did not use her truck. However, her story changed, and she eventually told investigators that she had been with him that day and that he’d made a stop at the bridge.
Authorities later discovered that both Day and Thomas had deliberately left their phones at home as part of a strategy to create a false alibi.
The warrant stated, “This is a clear effort for both [Day] and [Thomas] to deceive law enforcement.” They were trying to avoid linking them to the crime that had taken place in Fort Worth and the body found in Bowie.
Thomas was arrested on August 26 but was subsequently released on bond.
At the time of her death, Soluri was reportedly recovering from minor surgery and had not worked since late March.
In June, her coworkers at Envoy Air became concerned when she failed to report for her shift and could not be reached.
Detectives quickly identified Day as a suspect after Soluri’s roommate informed them he had been living with her for about a year.
During a welfare check on June 10, Day told police that Soluri was a long-time friend who lived with him, but he hadn’t seen her for three months.
On June 23, officers revisited Day’s home, where he again denied any role in Soluri’s disappearance and permitted a search of the premises.
During this search, authorities discovered video footage showing Day and another individual dragging what appeared to be a lifeless body from the house to the backyard on the night of March 21.
It is reported that Day later confessed to strangling Soluri during a physical altercation.
He claimed to have placed her body in a black trash can before dumping it from a bridge in Bowie. Day also allegedly discarded her cell phone in a nearby river but directed investigators to a gun belonging to Soluri.
Despite extensive searches at various locations in Bowie, Soluri’s body has yet to be found. Officials worry that flooding may have washed her remains away.
Soluri’s sister, Nez, expressed the devastating impact of the loss on their family, stating, “It was torture. Every other day, I wonder—should I continue to hope?”
Thomas is currently held at the Tarrant County Jail with a bond set at $200,000, charged with murder.
