Adrian Lewis, the husband of 35-year-old Shanita Eure-Lewis, was charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony related to her disappearance after he was arrested at Dulles International Airport. Police found the missing wife's passport and credit cards in Lewis's bag on his way to Jamaica, alleging that he was trying to flee the country.
Per WRIC, the police filed an Ashanti Alert, or an "endangered" missing adult alert, after Eure-Lewis' family found it difficult to contact her on Sunday. Friends reported that she was last seen leaving Gethsemane Baptist Church and having an argument with her husband.
Husband charged with wife's murder
In a press conference on Tuesday, Police Chief Steve Drew said that Eure-Lewis' body had not been recovered yet. Despite Lewis not admitting to killing her, Drew said that they found a lot of evidence against him.
Per the criminal complaint, the children last saw their mom arguing with their father. She then left her sister's house using her husband's truck. A month earlier, the mom said she intended to file for divorce from Lewis. She also took all the guns out of their home after her husband had suicidal thoughts.
Eure-Lewis' sister told police that Lewis called her at around 9:40 a.m. on Sunday and said her sister had been having an affair. The day before, Lewis allegedly told someone else that he would kill his wife if he caught her cheating on him.
At around noon, Lewis called his wife's sister again and told her that his wife "jumped out of the truck" near the WaWa at Jefferson Avenue and Harpersville Road. The husband asked her sister-in-law if she had heard from his wife since then.
The sister texted Eure-Lewis after Lewis' update but could not speak to her on the phone. The sister alleged that her sister's husband used Eure-Lewis's cellphone and was posing as his wife during that text conversation. At around 1:30 p.m., the husband picked up the children at the sister's home, Crimeonline reported.
Arrested at the Airport
The sister also said that she saw Lewis' truck parked near a garbage bin and saw him throwing things in it. Police recovered a shovel with dirt, a cloth or blanket, and Eure-Lewis' purse and sandals from the garbage.
Lewis also allegedly asked a car dealer to clean his truck. The person who cleaned the truck said he cleaned what seemed like blood in the front seat. When asked about the blood, Lewis said that a neighbor had shot his dog, but the police officers noted that both his dogs were unharmed.
According to 13News, authorities also found evidence of blood in the front passenger seat, and a cadaver dog marked the front passenger seat where Eure-Lewis was sitting when her children last saw her.
Chief Drew hopes Lewis will help them answer questions about his wife's death. However, he noted his "right to choose not to."
As the search for the missing mom continues, Chief Drew says he would prefer the search be left to investigators so they can recover possible evidence.
