NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro Police announced Thursday that the body removed from the Cumberland River Wednesday afternoon was convicted child rapist Dwight Farris.
Sources at the scene had previously identified the body as Farris to NewChannel 5 reporters.
Police arrived on the scene just after 5 p.m. Wednesday.
"Fire department and OEM responded and within about 30 minutes they did find a body, possibly a male subject. We believe it might be the person who threatened to commit suicide a couple of weeks ago," said Captain Natalie Lokey of the Metro Nashville Police Department.
The body was found caught up in a fallen tree along the banks of the Cumberland River near the Rock Harbor Marina in west Nashville.
Police said 52-year-old Farris had disappeared on March 8 after fleeing the Davidson County Court House during a sex crimes trial.
In lieu of his disappearance, Farris was convicted of three counts of rape, five counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, five counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, one count of displaying sex acts to a minor and one count of criminal exposure to HIV. The convictions related to his sexual relations with a 14-year-old male family friend.
Officials said that during his trial Farris was free on bond and wearing a GPS monitoring device. When police sought the signal for the device they found it had stopped sending a signal just before Farris fled. Farris was last seen on 1st Avenue North & Gay Street in downtown Nashville.
According to reports, Farris' niece flagged down a police officer that night and informed him her Uncle did not want to go to jail and would jump off a bridge. Police said that there were no reports of anyone jumping from a bridge that night.
Farris was out on a $250,000 bond during his trial, and there was a hearing set later this week to collect that bond. ..Source.. by News Channel5.com
No comments:
Post a Comment