A Texas girl has been accused of serving to her good friend get rid of a flight attendant’s physique after a butt-dial voicemail allegedly captured them plotting the cover-up.
Joni Thomas, 62, has been charged with tampering with proof within the suspected homicide of 47-year-old Rana Nofal Soluri — an Envoy Air flight attendant who was final seen alive in March, in line with an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC DFW.
Thomas is believed to have assisted suspected killer Dennis William Day — who allegedly admitted to investigators of strangling Soluri — with the disposal of her physique.
Investigators declare Day, 66, referred to as Thomas after murdering Soluri within the kitchen of his Fort Price residence following an argument and had her come over in her pickup truck. The pair then allegedly transported the Soluris’ physique to Bowie, about 70 miles away, and dumped her corpse off a bridge.
Throughout the homicide investigation, detectives found what they consider is a butt dialed voicemail on Thomas’ cellphone that captures her and Day straining to maneuver a heavy object.
A male voice is heard on the recording saying, “Hey … assist me,” “Ensure the lid’s on” and “I’m I acquired you tousled on this,” in line with the affidavit.
Thomas initially denied realizing something concerning the homicide when questioned by investigators and insisted Day hadn’t pushed or used her truck.
Nonetheless, Thomas allegedly modified her story, telling investigators that Day had used her truck and he or she was with him, and that he had stopped on the bridge to make use of the lavatory. She additionally claimed that she was asleep for a piece of the drive.
Investigators discovered that each Day and Thomas left their telephones behind at his residence earlier than driving to Bowie, a calculated effort to stage a false alibi, in line with the warrant.
“It is a clear effort by each [Day] and [Thomas] to deceive legislation enforcement and make it seem like they by no means left [Day’s] home in Fort Price, Texas, after they have been dumping [Nofal’s] physique in Bowie, TX,” police mentioned within the warrant.
Thomas was arrested on Aug. 26 and transferred to the Tarrant County Jail, however has since been launched on bond.
Across the time she is believed to have been killed, Soluri was recovering from minor surgical procedure and had been out of labor since late March.
Nonetheless, in June, her Envoy Air coworkers reported her lacking after they grew to become involved when she failed to indicate up for work as scheduled and have been unable to get involved along with her.
Police shortly zeroed in on Day as a suspect after Soluri’s co-worker informed investigators they’d been roommates for a couple of 12 months.
Day informed cops that Soluri was a longtime good friend and was dwelling with him, however had not seen her for 3 months, throughout a welfare examine on June 10.
On June 23, police met with Day at his residence once more, the place he denied any involvement in her disappointment and consented to a search of his property.
Throughout the search, investigators obtained video surveillance footage from the night time of March 21 exhibiting Day dragging “what seems to be a dull physique from the house into the yard.”
Day then allegedly admitted that he and Soluri had fought after she had filmed him performing irate, and when she threatened to name 911, he panicked and strangled her together with his naked arms.
Cops say he confessed to stuffing her physique right into a black trash bin and dumping it off a bridge in Bowie. He additionally allegedly ditched her cellphone in a close-by river — however led investigators to Soluri’s gun, which has since been discovered.
Regardless of searches at a number of Bowie bridges, Soluri’s physique has not been recovered. Officers concern flooding might have pushed her stays downstream.
Soluri’s sister, Nez, informed NBCDFW that her household has been shattered over the ache of shedding her.
“It’s been torture,” Nez mentioned. “Each different day, I hold dreaming or wishing… perhaps she bumped her head, had amnesia – one thing.”
Day is presently being held within the Tarrant County Jail on a $200,000 bond, charged with homicide.
