Update (September 1, 2021): Michael Lee Wilkerson, who is accused of killing his fiancée Brittany Michelle Davis, allegedly sent text messages to Davis’ mother after committing the crime to make it seem like his partner was still alive.

Melanie Holliman said she received text messages from her daughter's phone in February and March, shortly after the 32-year-old woman disappeared, Local 12 reported. According to the grieving mother, her daughter appeared to be saying that she is returning home from a trip to Puerto Rico. But Holliman later learned that her daughter never took the trip. She then reported her loved one missing.

“The story was she had gotten a plane ticket booked to Puerto Rico,” Brian Paiz, Davis’ former co-worker, told WSPA-TV. “And I knew she loved Puerto Rico because me and her spoke about that, but she never got on the flight.”

Wilkerson was charged with Davis' death last week.

Original (August 27, 2021): Michael Lee Wilkerson, the fiancée of a South Carolina woman who was found dead after she went missing last year, has been charged with her death. Brittany Michelle Davis was living with Wilkerson in Greenville, South Carolina, when she disappeared last year, according to WYFF4.

After Davis' family reported her missing on March 16, 2020, police found the body of the South Carolina woman in a wooded area in northeast Georgia in April of this year. DNA testing then confirmed that the remains belong to Davis.

Police said the evidence suggests that the 32-year-old was likely a victim of foul play. They also suspect she died on or about Feb. 12, 2020. But the cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Wilkerson, who was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Buford, Georgia, on Tuesday, is currently held at the Gwinnett County Jail. He is awaiting extradition back to Greenville.

“Based on evidence obtained during the investigation, detectives had probable cause to charge Michael Lee Wilkerson, 42, with the murder of Brittany Michelle Davis,” officials said on Thursday, according to The News & Observer.

Davis is remembered as a beautiful soul with a good heart.

“Brittany was a shining light and for her to die like this, it’s just heartbreaking,” Brian Paiz, a former coworker, told WSPA. “People pass away of cancer or they pass away in a car wreck or something like that. You can kind of know what it was. But to not know where she was and how she passed away, I think that was the biggest thing that really just hurt everybody.”

Paiz said Davis was getting ready to travel to Puerto Rico shortly before she disappeared.

“The story was she had gotten a plane ticket booked to Puerto Rico,” he said. “And I knew she loved Puerto Rico because me and her spoke about that, but she never got on the flight.”

The former colleague is taking solace in knowing that the beloved young woman will be put to rest peacefully.

“It’s sad and you’re kind of sick to your stomach,” Paiz said. “But I will say this, I’m glad that her mom who is such a sweet person and her brothers got some closure.”

Michael Lee Wilkerson

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