Body of missing Virginia woman, Avriel Hooks, 20, found Tuesday a week after she vanished and purportedly texted her mother that she off to spend alone time at a friend’s

Avriel Hooks, 20, was last seen at her home in Lynchburg on August 22 around 8pm – triggering a multi-force search for her

Avriel’s mother, Ashely Pittman, said she received a text from her around 6am the morning after she was last seen, stating that she wanted some ‘me time’ and that she was at a friend’s house

Pittman didn’t think her daughter sent it, because it was not her’ way of writing or speaking, she also had a five-month-old son, and would never willingly leave him alone 

The husband, Michael L. Perry III, 21, has now been arrested for second degree murder and unlawful disposal of a dead body

He’s being held in Blue Ridge Regional Jail without bond.  

Avriel Hooks, 20, was last seen at her home in Lynchburg on August 22 around 8pm – triggering a desperate multi-force search for her. The mother-of-one’s deceased body was found in a wooded area off of a main road seven days later

The body of a missing Virginia woman has been found after she disappeared and her mom received an odd text that ‘didn’t sound like her’. Police in Lynchburg arrested her husband for murder. 
Mother-of-one Avriel Hooks, 20, was last seen at her home in Lynchburg on August 22 around 8pm – triggering a desperate multi-agency missing person search. Her body was found in a wooded area off of a main road seven days later. 
Her estranged husband Michael L. Perry III, 21, has now been arrested for second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a dead body. He’s being held in Blue Ridge Regional Jail without bond. 

Michael L. Perry III, Avriel Hooks’ 21-year-old estranged husband, has now been arrested for second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a dead body

Avriel’s mother Ashely Pittman previously told investigators she received a text from her around 6am the morning after she was last seen, but Pittman didn’t think her daughter sent it.
The text said she wanted some ‘me time’ and that she was at a friend’s house. It rung alarm bells for the family, who said this was not Hooks’ way of writing or speaking.
Hooks also had a five-month-old son, and would never willingly leave him alone, according to her parents. 
Her mom went to her house to check on her on August 23, and she found the door was unlocked and the lights were on. The 20-year-old was nowhere to be seen. 
Avriel’s sister Lydia Page told WSET that the 20-year-old loved being a mom: ‘She would never let that baby out of her sight at all. 
‘She would hold that baby, she held that baby constantly. He had the stuff he needed, that’s all that mattered to her. She could care less about herself.’

The body of Avril Hooks, seen [photo], with her five-month-old son, was found on Tuesday Aug 29, in a wooded area off US 60 Lexington Turnpike in Amherst, VA – a week after her disappearance

Avril’s mother, Ashely Pittman, said she grew suspicious because the note purportedly sent by her daughter didn’t sound like her in the least, adding that she would never leave her five-month-old baby alone

Local Search parties were set up to help find the mother-of-one by Lynchburg police

The woman’s body was found on Tuesday, one week after her disappearance, in a wooded area off US 60 Lexington Turnpike in Amherst, police said.
The Lynchburg Police Department, Amherst County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations worked together to find Hooks. 
Police said in an update on Tuesday night: ‘Your Lynchburg Police Department arrested Michael L. Perry III (21) of Lynchburg, after he was detained earlier today in connection with the murder of Avriel Hooks.

After Hooks was reported missing, her parents insisted that a text she supposedly sent didn’t sound like her and she would never willingly leave her infant son alone

This image of Hooks was handed out by police when she was reported missing

The Lynchburg Police Department, Amherst County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations worked together to find Hooks

‘LPD Detectives worked tirelessly over the past week, utilizing all available investigative resources and partnered with Hooks’ family, our community, local, state, and federal partners with hopes of locating Hooks safely.
‘Following the extensive search earlier today in Amherst County in partnership with the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office, a body was located in a wooded area off U.S. 60 (Lexington Turnpike), Amherst, VA.
‘Michael L. Perry III was transported to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail where he is being held without bond on the following charges:
‘Murder in the 2nd Degree and Unlawful Disposal of a Dead Body.’ 
‘Our thoughts are with the family of Avriel Hooks during this difficult time.