Who is Andrew Cole? Man arrested in death of Texas woman who was found burned alive next to a butcher's knife
AUSTIN, TEXAS: A man named Andrew Alexander Cole has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found burned along the Texas roadside in September.
In the early morning of September 29, the body of the 33-year-old woman was found burned next to a butcher's knife in Austin.
The mysterious death of Davis who was pronounced dead at the scene was ruled a homicide, according to a statement from the Austin Police Department, reports People.
What are the charges against Andrew Alexander Cole?
The 45-year-old man taken into custody following Davis's death was charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair, as per court documents cited by CBS Austin and the Austin American-Statesman.
However, it remains unclear whether the suspect has entered a plea or has legal representation.
Who was Melissa Davis?
According to Davis' online obituary, she did a master's in international sustainable tourism after she obtained a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of North Texas.
Speaking to KVUE, the victim's friend Elie Simmons said Davis was passionate about painting and wished to show it off around the world.
"And we actually had dreams together with one of our other friends to start a hostel in Costa Rica and we would have an art station," said Simmons.
Speaking about Davis' love for her dog, her family said, "She took immense pride in being a dog mom to Dudley who was her constant companion for the past six years - he wanted for nothing!."
What is Melissa Davis' cause of death?
According to a search warrant, authorities found a lighter next to Davis' body that was found after they were alerted to a "strong odour of accelerant."
A butcher knife was dug up by a police K9 and authorities believe the knife "was placed with the decadent in an attempt to destroy the evidence with the fire."
Although medical examiners confirmed they did not find any trauma to the victim's body, they believe that she was burned alive.
During the search for the suspect, police were on a hunt for Davis' car which is described as a 206 blue Toyota 4Runner.
The cause of Davis' death has not yet been determined.
CBS Austin reported that authorities believe arrested suspect moved lit the victim's body on fire on the side of a road after moving it from a hotel.
A surveillance footage showed Davis and Cole walking into a hotel room together, according to the affidavit.