The husband of a Georgia mother-of-four who disappeared three weeks ago has been charged with her murder after her body was discovered by cops.
Donell Anderson was arrested by a SWAT team raid the day after investigators found the remains of Imani Roberson, 29, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett announced on Saturday.
‘It was clear that foul play was evident in the disappearance,’ he said.
Roberson was last seen by her mother Clarine Andujar-White on July 16 after having dinner with her and her four children. When she couldn’t get ahold of Roberson the next day, she filed a missing persons report – 10 days before her burned car was found in a wooded area.
It would take police another eight days to locate her body, which was found in a wooded area by K-9 cadaver dogs on Friday morning.
Anderson was arrested in an Atlanta apartment and charged with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime.
The remains of Imani Roberson, 29, were found Friday morning – three weeks after she was last seen alive
Donell Anderson, Roberson’s husband, has been charged with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime
Levett said the last time Roberson was seen alive, she left two of her children at her mother’s house and returned home with two others, a three-year-old and a baby she gave birth to just a month ago.
Roberson left in her white Mazda SUV, which was later seen in Ring doorbell footage obtained by NBC News speeding away from her home the day she went missing.
Her family reportedly believe that a gunshot could also be heard in the footage, which was taken from a house across the street, but this has not been confirmed by police.
Her mother visited her home the next morning after she couldn’t contact her, and she reported her missing after finding the property empty.
At a press conference after her daughter’s body was found, Andujar-White said as soon as she didn’t hear from her daughter, she ‘knew something was wrong.’
An urgent search was launched as cops combed the Rockdale County area, and Levett said investigators contacted her friends and looked into areas Roberson was known to visit.
‘This investigation led us to conduct several search warrants on homes to include the home of our victim, a car and cell phones,’ Levett said.
‘In addition, we spoke to several individuals, collected a number of evidence to include blood in our victim’s home and in other places that I won’t be specific on.’
Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett (pictured) said ‘it was clear that foul play was evident in the disappearance’
Grainy Ring doorbell footage showed Roberson’s white Mazda SUV speeding from her home the day she disappeared
On July 26, investigators found Roberson’s burned SUV. It would be another eight days before they were able to locate her body
Roberson had given birth just a month before she went missing
Her desperate family pleaded with the public for help, the prospects for finding Roberson alive took a major hit when investigators located her white Mazda on July 27.
The vehicle appeared to have been burned from the inside, cops said, and images showed the car’s logo had been singed into the ground around ash and debris.
Police announced her remains had been found Friday, but have not yet said where the body was discovered besides in a ‘wooded area’. Authorities were able to identify her through her tattoos and images provided by her family.
Announcing the arrest of Anderson, Levett said authorities received information almost immediately that led them to suspect Roberson’s husband.
He did not elaborate on what led them to Anderson, and added that the investigation is still ongoing and more arrests could come.
At a press conference after her burned vehicle was discovered, Levitt said all four of her children were safe but declined to give details about their whereabouts.
The mother-of-four was discovered in a ‘wooded area’ 19 days after she disappeared
Cops were able to identify Roberson’s remains by her tattoos and images provided by her family
Roberson’s heartbroken mother and father spoke after the arrest of Anderson was announced as they revealed their anguish over losing their beloved daughter.
‘Today is a very difficult day for our family,’ Andujar-White said. ‘Late last night, my worst fears were confirmed and our family is devastated.’
‘Being here today is extremely difficult for us,’ she continued, thanking the public, media and police for searching for Roberson.
‘We thank you for your continued prayers and support as we work to care for Imani’s beautiful boys without a mother.’
Roberson’s father broke down as he said at the press conference Roberson was ‘the third child I’ve lost to the state of Georgia.’
‘I’ve seen all I can see – three of my babies gone,’ he said. ‘It’s not the news that we wanted, but I’m happy that we can hold him accountable.’
He urged the public to continue helping with the ongoing investigation
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