Police are asking for help locating a Nashville man after his wife was found dead in their home over the weekend.

Ronald Dickens is being charged with criminal homicide in the death of his wife, GirlTrek organizer Shawnton Clay. She is believed to have died Saturday morning in their home in Avalon Apartments in Nashville, reports News Channel 5.

When the 30-year-old didn't show up for work and her family hadn’t heard from her, they forced themselves into her home and found her dead inside. Dickens was not home when Clay’s body was found, and Clay's family could not reach him. Clay’s keys were also missing from the apartment, according to the Tennessean.

Her body showed signs of trauma according to authorities, but the medical examiner is still working to declare a cause of death.

On Tuesday Metro Nashville Police issued an arrest warrant for Dickens, who Clay was divorcing. Police believe he has fled the state.

The couple was married in Las Vegas in September of 2018, but court documents show Clay filed for divorce about a year after the ceremony on October 22, 2019.

Court papers filed before her death show Dickens attacked Clay in 2018 for attempting to end the relationship. An arrest affidavit filed shows they were sitting in a car when Clay attempted to break up with her husband and an argument ensued.

"The suspect then became furious and struck her several times with his right closed fist," the affidavit reads.

He drug her out of the car, which caused injury to her arms and legs and pulled her up by her hair. Clay fled and reported the incident to the police. Dickens spent more than a year hiding from police until he was arrested on one count of domestic violence on October 4. Prosecutors dismissed the charge in November because Clay did not return multiple calls.

Family and friends are now mourning the women’s health advocate.

“My baby was a ray of sunshine,” Clay’s mother, Lori Sanchez, told the Tennessean. “She always had a positive attitude and tried to help everybody. She saw good in everyone no matter the situation.”

A spokesperson for GirlTrek, the largest public health organization for Black women in the United States, said Clay will not be forgotten and the nonprofit will be grieving her death.

"The GirlTrek sisterhood has lost a dedicated organizer and champion of Black women’s health. Shawnton Clay was a bright light in our community. Shawnton personally believed in the power of walking," Jewel Bush, a GirlTrek spokeswoman, said Monday. "Her spirit, enthusiasm and commitment to helping Black women lead healthier lives all while enjoying the natural wonder of the outdoors represents all that is GirlTrek.”

Clay’s grandmother said she was a kindhearted person who would do anything for anyone.

"Everybody knew her as giving and wanting to give back," said her father, Alan Clay. "She was a very inspirational person all around."

A GoFundMe account has been set up by her coworkers to help her family with funeral costs.

Police are asking anyone with information on Dickens’ location to contact the Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600. They believe he is driving a 2017 black Toyota Camry with the Tennessee license plate of T4522V.

Domestic-violenceGIrlTrekHomicide