ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. — A critical piece of information that led authorities to the body of 18-year-old Aonesty Selby was a shared location on her phone along with a license plate reader.
Selby's body was found in a remote area of Isle of Wight County last week, near Blue Ridge Trail, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities said Selby was last seen on Jan. 11 before she was reported missing on Jan. 13.
Last weekend, a hit from Selby's phone pinpointed where officials would find her body.
After looking through it, investigators uncovered a trove of evidence, connecting her death to Andarius McClelland of Newport News.
"We discovered that he sent her money via CashApp and sent her his address on the Uber app. There was also common information shared on his phone and her phone," said Capt. Thomas Potter, with the Isle of Wight Sheriff's Office.
Captain Potter says investigators discovered Selby and McClelland had been dating off and on for the past two months. After Selby arrived in Newport News on Wednesday, police said the two of them drove out to Isle of Wight and at some point, they had an argument. Afterward, Mclelland returned to the Peninsula.
Capt. Potter said Flock cameras picked up information showing that a car belonging to Andarius' brother was seen driving from Isle of Wight back to Newport News. After connecting the pieces, investigators had a search warrant and an arrest warrant out. While talking to police, McClelland recounted what happened.
Authorities said Andarius told investigators that he had the firearm on his person or in his hand at the time and during the argument, he fired the weapon striking Aonesty. He said he then panicked left the area and went back to Newport News.
"During the investigation, it was learned that Darius' brother kept a 9-millimeter handgun in the home and on the morning of Friday, January 13, Darius McClelland attempted to seal that firearm but was unsuccessful."
Authorities believe that gun found was the murder weapon.
According to the sheriff's office, McClelland has multiple charges against him including second-degree murder.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 6.
The sheriff's office says there was no Ashanti Alert issued because Selby's case didn't show she was a danger to herself or others.
