Georgia man charged with murder after his girlfriend’s dead body is found in a suitcase

THOMASTON, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man has been charged with murder after police said he killed his girlfriend, stuffed her body in a suitcase and stashed it in the closet of the apartment they shared.

Freddrick Durham of Thomaston was being held without bail in the Upson County jail. Durham appeared before a judge on Monday, a Thomaston police investigator said by phone, but Durham does not yet have a lawyer who can speak for him.

Officers and relatives had gone to Margret Dubignon’s apartment Friday in the the town about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Atlanta, but didn’t find her, after last speaking to her on Thursday.

She was officially reported missing Saturday morning, with relatives saying Durham and Dubignon’s vehicle were also missing. Officers were called back to the apartment 90 minutes later after relatives found Dubignon’s body in the suitcase. Upson County Coroner Craig Stubbs said Monday that Dubignon’s cause of death will be determined once an autopsy is completed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

License plate cameras tracked Dubignon’s vehicle to Atlanta, where Atlanta police arrested Durham about two hours later. He was taken back to Thomaston, where he was also charged with concealing a death, tampering with evidence and motor vehicle theft. Police said more charges could follow.