GUILTY AL - Richard Harris, 63, Boldo, 11 Feb 2010

Investigators with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office spent time Thursday searching an area near future Interstate-22 in Jasper for a missing person.

Richard Douglas Harris, 63, was last seen at a flea market on Highway 69 North in Boldo on Thursday, Feb. 11, between 11:30 a.m. and noon. Walker County Sheriff John Mark Tirey said family members were expecting him to come back to Jasper, but he didn’t return home. Tirey said the family originally filed a police report with the Jasper Police Department before the case was transferred to his office.

Tirey said Harris’ vehicle was found Sunday on the shoulder of I-22 West about 100 yards from the Whitehouse Road overpass. His office received the case Wednesday and spent Thursday searching for Harris around the area where his vehicle was found.

Investigators walked the area and performed an aerial search for Harris and nothing was found.

“We are concerned about Mr. Harris and are doing everything we can to locate him,” Tirey said. “His family said he is in good health and they are worried and want to find him as well. We are urging anyone with information to call us.”

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JASPER, Ala. (AP) - Two men have been charged with murder and robbery in connection with a body that was found Friday afternoon near Cordova.

Walker County Sheriff John Mark Tirey said the body has been tentatively identified as Richard Douglas Harris, a 63-year-old Jasper man who was reported missing by his family on Feb. 12.

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A judge has granted a motion to increase the bonds for two men charged with murder and robbery of a man whose dismembered body was found last week to $1 million.

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The victim, 63-year-old Richard Douglas Harris of Jasper, was reported missing Feb. 12. His car was found two days later, and his dismembered body was discovered Friday near Cordova.

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Walker County Coroner J.C. Poe said Brian Michael Smelley, who would have turned 41 Monday, had been in the prison’s infirmary for about a week before he passed away. However, the cause of Smelley’s death is not known at this time...

Smelley, who was found guilty of murder, robbery and abuse of a corpse on Sept. 22 at the conclusion of a nine-day trial... received a life sentence for the murder, 99 years for the robbery and 10 years for the abuse charge.

Smelley aided James David Hollie, 33, in the shooting death of Richard Harris in February 2010. He then helped Hollie dismember Harris’ body and spread his remains throughout Walker County in an attempt to cover up the crime.

Hollie pleaded guilty to the murder on Sept. 22. He was sentenced to life in prison.

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