HENRY COUNTY, Va. – The Henry County Sheriff’s Office has provided an update regarding a missing woman who was found dead this week.
Authorities said an employer reported Laura Alaracon Cardenas missing on Oct. 25 after she didn’t show up to work for two days.
On Oct. 25, deputies went to Cardenas’ home and spoke with her fiance, 41-year-old Adam Hughes, who claimed he hadn’t seen her since Oct. 21.
A day later, authorities returned to the home and executed a search warrant and found blood inside the home and in Hughes’ truck.
“They seized two vehicles and we subsequently executed search warrants on those vehicles as well, and we discovered a presence of human blood in the bed of the truck as well in the back seats of the truck,” Sheriff Wayne Davis said.
Authorities used advanced technology to track down Cardenas’ body. The trail led them to her body over 60 miles away in a wooded area in South Boston. They quickly determined it was her.
“Virginia state police conducted a rapid DNA test to definitively confirm those to be the remains of Ms. Cardenas,” Davis said.
Further investigation led deputies to determine that Hughes had been at the scene where her body was found.
Hughes has been taken into custody and faces the following charges:
- Second-degree murder
- Concealment of a dead body
“Second-degree murder in Virginia is punished by 5 to 40 years in prison and illegal disposal of body is a class one misdemeanor that carries a max penalty of up to 2500 dollar fine and or 12 months in jail,” Andrew Nester, Commonwealth Attorney for Henry County said.
Deputies said he has a criminal history but couldn’t release any more information.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference on Thursday afternoon, which you can watch in full below:
