An Alabama family is mourning the loss of their loved one who lived in Atlanta.
Deundray Cottrell, 31, was murdered during the Fourth of July holiday. His family reported him missing nearly two days before his body was found on July 6 in a Birmingham neighborhood not far from where he disappeared.
Channel 2’s Elizabeth Rawlins said detectives are looking for his friend, Julian Morris, 31.
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Morris is also from the Atlanta area.
Investigators are looking for Morris, who is believed to have been the last person to see Cottrell alive on July 4. He was found dead a few days later.
Family members told Rawlins on WSB tonight at 11pm on Sunday that they suspect he knows exactly what happened.
Rawlins spoke with Angelica Cottrell, the victim’s sister.
“Oh, it was finally confirmed today that my brother was murdered,” Cottrell said.
The victim and Morris drove from Atlanta to Birmingham to celebrate the holiday.
“My kids started setting off fireworks and because my brother had his dog with him, he wanted to run inside to check on the dog,” Cottrell said.
She said Morris was the one who warned her that her brother was missing. He allegedly jumped from her balcony.
“He told us that when he jumped, he bounced up… got up, jumped over the fence and ran away,” she said.
She added that his initial reaction and behavior were bizarre.
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“While we were looking – Julian wasn’t doing that,” she said. “At one point, when everyone was looking, Julian had a plate set up and was sitting there eating, and he looked at me and said OMG the food is so good.”
Fearing that Morris knew more than he was letting on, Angelica told him to leave and find shelter elsewhere.
“Julian knows everything and he kept reminding me during his tirades that he was a Marine,” she said.
Morris is no longer answering phone calls.
If you have any information please contact Birmingham Police or Crimestoppers.
There is currently a $5,000 reward being offered for information leading to an arrest.
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