The Leeds Police Department received confirmation Tuesday from the St. Clair County Coroner’s Office that the body of Emily Phillips Milling, 23, had been discovered Monday night 40 feet off Markeeta Road in Leeds.Milling’s body was discovered shortly after 8 p.m. and she was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:05.
Leeds police were briefly conducting two investigations, one into the missing persons case concerning Milling and one into the body, until it could be confirmed that it was Milling.
The cause of death had not been determined as of Tuesday afternoon, although St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell said the case is being treated as a homicide.
Milling’s body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science to determine the cause of death.
Milling was first reported missing Sunday, Nov. 16. She was last seen alive leaving The Central Club in Leeds about 1 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, with a man witnesses described as a truck driver.
Friends and family went on the alert and began searching for her when Milling did not report to work Monday and her abandoned car was found.
While community members searched for Milling, the club managers cooperated with the police investigation by agreeing to pull any video from surveillance cameras the police thought might be helpful in locating the woman or determining what might have happened.
Though the Police Department announced Monday afternoon that there were no suspects and no arrests had been made in the case, Chief Ted Cook seemed to have a hunch by the time of the Leeds City Council meeting that night.
“We have an ongoing missing persons case,” Cook said during the meeting. “We have a person of interest, or suspect, in California we would like to investigate. I am requesting emergency funds for two officers to fly out to question the person.”
Cook was not sure what expenses might come up, but said he hoped the investigation could be conducted in less than a day.
He said the officers would need round-trip plane tickets and a rental car once they got to California, but an overnight stay might also involve hotel expenses.
Mayor Eric Patterson asked for a motion from the council to add an item to the agenda concerning Cook’s request.
Once the item was added to the agenda and it was brought up for discussion, Councilman Kenneth Washington made the motion to give Cook the green light for the investigation and Councilman Ross Bartee seconded the motion.
The motion included any incidental expenses — such as a car or an overnight stay — the police might need for the investigation.
Bartee said he was not questioning the need for funds, but asked Cook if funds were not already designated for department use in these instances.
Cook said those funds are meant for training and education, and the council confirmed the money would come from the general budget. The council is between budgets at this time since the current members have not had a chance to determine what expenses and revenue to expect in the coming year.
The investigation into Milling’s death is ongoing, conducted in a joint operation by the Leeds Police Department, Moody Police Department, St. Clair County Coroner’s Office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.
Cook could not be reached Tuesday to confirm whether the investigation would still involve questioning anyone in California.
Anyone with information regarding the case should call the Leeds Police Department at 205-699-2581.
