Authorities recovered suspected fetal remains at the Pineville home and arrested the murder suspect a week later in Tennessee.
PINEVILLE, Ky. — A Tennessee man is awaiting extradition to Kentucky after authorities accused him of killing a 41-year-old pregnant woman whose body was found at her Pineville home, where investigators later recovered what they believe were fetal remains.
April Barlow Celio was found dead Sept. 23 after Pineville police responded to a home in the 300 block of George Martin Drive. Police and the Bell County Coroner’s Office determined that her death was a homicide. Investigators learned the next day that Celio had been pregnant, according to statements from authorities. The Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office reported that no fetus was present in her womb when her body was examined. Police, Bell County sheriff’s deputies and Kentucky State Police later recovered remains at the scene that investigators and medical examiners believe were fetal remains.
Authorities identified DeMarcus Kenneth Johnson-Wright as a suspect as the investigation continued. The Bell County District Court issued warrants Sept. 25 accusing him of first-degree robbery and kidnapping of an adult. Additional warrants issued Sept. 30 accused Johnson-Wright of murder involving domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence. The charges are allegations, and authorities have not publicly released a full account of what they believe happened inside Celio’s home.
Pineville police and the Bell County Sheriff’s Office asked the U.S. Marshals Service for help locating Johnson-Wright after the additional warrants were issued. Investigators determined that he was staying at a residence on Timber Court Drive in Clarksville, Tennessee, authorities said. Members of U.S. Marshals fugitive task forces, Clarksville police and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrested him there at about 11 p.m. Sept. 30.
Authorities obtained and executed a search warrant at the Clarksville residence after the arrest. The U.S. Marshals Service said investigators recovered and seized materials related to the Kentucky case, but officials have not publicly described those items in detail. Johnson-Wright was taken into custody in Tennessee and booked into the Montgomery County Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Kentucky.
Officials have not publicly disclosed Celio’s cause of death or explained how the suspected fetal remains came to be outside her body. They also have not released a motive. Although the murder warrant carries a domestic-violence designation, authorities have not publicly explained the nature of any relationship between Celio and Johnson-Wright. Investigators have also not announced the gestational age of Celio’s pregnancy or released a final identification of the suspected fetal remains.
Authorities said Johnson-Wright had outstanding violent felony warrants in Tennessee when Kentucky investigators identified him as a suspect. The U.S. Marshals Service also described him as having an extensive violent criminal history. Those earlier matters are separate from the allegations in Celio’s death, and the current Kentucky charges have not been adjudicated.
Celio was a Pineville native who was born Sept. 11, 1985, according to an obituary published through Barbourville Funeral Home. She is survived by her husband, Antonio Celio; her parents, Michael and Teresa Barlow; three children; a sister; and other relatives and friends. Funeral services were held Oct. 5 in Barbourville, followed by burial at Big Jim Cemetery.
The case remains under investigation by Kentucky authorities. Johnson-Wright remained in Tennessee custody pending his return to Kentucky, where the warrants accuse him of first-degree robbery, kidnapping, murder involving domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence. No plea or Kentucky court appearance in the case had been publicly reported as of Tuesday.