Amarriah CeAnna Smith, 19, was found dead on January 17, 2024, inside the trunk of an abandoned car in Washington, North Carolina. The vehicle belonged to 29-year-old Jordan Isaiah Thomas and had been left in a private parking lot along U.S. Highway 264; a tow company employee discovered Smith’s body when opening the trunk. Investigators say she was likely killed elsewhere and then transported and concealed in the car. Evidence was recovered at a residence in Edenton where Thomas had been staying, but it is unclear whether the killing occurred there.

Thomas and Smith were known to one another, authorities say. After abandoning his car he allegedly stole a truck from the same lot and was later arrested at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital in Washington; he was initially charged with larceny of a motor vehicle and concealing the death of a person and was charged with murder on January 22, 2024. Smith’s family described her as an aspiring teacher and a proud Nash Central High School graduate. The investigation remains active.

If anyone has information about Smith, her movements, or the abandoned car and parking lot, please share what you know.