The missing Texas-based social media influencer whose body was recovered in bushes on the side of a Houston road in November died from strangulation, a medical examiner’s office announced Tuesday.
Alexis Sharkey’s disappearance gained national attention after she was found dead on Nov. 28 on Red Haw Lane in West Houston about three miles from her home.
The 26-year-old woman’s cause of death was revealed in a statement by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences which ruled her death a homicide, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The report comes more than seven weeks since a City of Houston public works employee reported to authorities he saw feet in bushes along a street a day after Sharkey was reported as missing on Nov. 27 over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Authorities haven’t identified any suspects in the case since December. Police previously said that Sharkey was found with no visible wounds, though the autopsy report concludes her death was a homicide.
Sharkey’s recovery was announced in an emotional statement on Facebook by her mother, Stacey Clark Robinault, who added several pictures of her daughter.
“It’s with deeply broken hearts that Mike and I want to let you all know that Lexi’s body has been found,” Robinault wrote. “We cannot begin to thank you all for your love and the kind words you’ve extended to our family! Please give us this time to grieve this incredible loss to our family and this world!!! We will miss you, Love!!!!”
Sharkey’s husband, Tom Sharkey, called the Robinault family on Nov. 28 to tell them his wife hadn’t returned home after leaving the house over the Thanksgiving holiday, ABC13 reported.
The social media influencer had a following of about 71,000 and mainly focused on skin care and beauty. On Nov. 28, she was supposed to meet with friends to watch a movie, but when she didn’t show up her friends alerted her family.
A friend of Sharkey told KHOU11 in November she spent time with her during a Thanksgiving gathering at her home and last spoke to her around 6 p.m. on Nov. 27, adding that it was very unusual for her not to answer her phone after she was reported missing.
“She is attached to her phone. She is a social media queen. She is an influencer. She works from her phone,” Tanya Ricardo said.
Sharkey’s mother said in a missing person report posted on Facebook that her daughter had moved to Houston, Texas, with her husband earlier this year.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe fundraiser was set up in support of Sharkey’s family. The page has since generated over $24,000.