STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Man Drives 17 Hours to Meet Woman He Met Online While Dead Wife Was in the Trunk of the Car

Dequalan Dejuan Harris has been charged with gross abuse of a corpse.

A man from Texas has been arrested after police identified the body of woman found dead in the trunk of a vehicle he drove as his wife.

On Saturday, Cedar Hill police took Dequalan Dejuan Harris, 35, into custody in connection with the death of his wife, Tamara R. Harris, reported WFAA.  

Tamara and Dequalan were in the process of divorce according to Cedar Hill police and the couple has a previous non-violent call history to 911.  

Mansfield police Det. Lt. Rob Skropits Monday said that Dequalan Harris drove 17 hours to Mansfield, Ohio, "for love" or "an internet connection."

A sergeant from the Cedar Hill Police Department told Mansfield police Tamara had been missing from their jurisdiction for a few days, according to the court record. The sergeant also told Ohio officers that the victim’s OnStar feature in her car indicated the vehicle was in the area of 424 Woodridge Drive.

Prior to towing the victim's vehicle, a 2015 Chevy Traverse, officers checked the trunk and found a dead woman.  

Demika Rucker, Dequalan’s girlfriend, told police that Harris arrived at her residence around 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to the court record.

A $1 million cash bond was set Monday for Dequalan Harris. He was charged with abuse of a corpse, a fifth-degree felony, after the body was found in the rear compartment of a vehicle parked in the 400 block of Woodridge Drive.

When Dequalan talked to officers, he said he had not seen Tamara since Thursday, when he picked up a child at her residence in Texas.

Richland County Children Services is assisting police with the care of the child found with Dequalan Harris and is working with Texas officials, said Mansfield police Det. Lt. Rob Skropits.

Cedar Hill police say Dequalan remains in custody in Ohio and charges from their agency are pending. 

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