abuse of a corpse

The death of an Alabama woman whose body was found in a shallow grave about two weeks after she disappeared has been ruled an accidental overdose.

The Jefferson County Coroner told news outlets Thursday that 29-year-old Paighton Houston died of morphine and methamphetamine toxicity. She was found dead earlier this month after going missing from a Birmingham bar in December. She had left the bar with two men and then texted a friend that she feared she was in trouble.

Weeks after her disappearance, a convicted sex offender faces charges in the case of an Alabama woman left dead in a shallow grave in Hueytown.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A third person is charged in the death of a woman whose body was found at the bottom of a well in Alabama.

News outlets report 27-year-old Devon Trent Hall is charged with murder and corpse abuse in the killing of 20-year-old Willie Watkins, who went missing in June.

Hall was being held on drug charges in Birmingham when authorities linked him to the slaying. Court records aren't available to show whether he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A body believed to be that of a missing Alabama woman has been found at the bottom of a well, and two men have been charged in her death.

News outlets report Tuscaloosa County workers acting on a tip recovered a body tentatively identified as 20-year-old Marka "Willoe" Watkins in the well at a vacant house.

Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Kip Hart says 29-year-old Kendal Tyler Battles and 20-year-old Joseph Brandon Nevels are charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.