From the Office of DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden:
FORT PAYNE, Ala. – On June 25th 2024, Deputies with the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office along with Collinsville Police Department and Crossville Police Department responded to an address on County Road 221 in Collinsville in regard to an unresponsive female. When Law Enforcement arrived, the victim was found to be deceased with an apparent gunshot wound. The Dekalb County Criminal Investigation Division then responded due to suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
A male subject later identified as James Michael Howard Jr. (27 of Valley Head) was encountered in the area by neighbors of the victim a short time after law enforcement arrived on scene. These neighbors promptly notified law enforcement of Howard’s presence and he was detained and interviewed after Investigators determined him to have been present at the victim’s residence earlier.
| James Michael Howard Jr. (27 of Valley Head) |
After interviewing multiple individuals with knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death as well as processing the scene, James Michael Howard Jr. was arrested for Murder and Public Intoxication and booked into the Dekalb County Detention Center.
DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the incident: “Thank you to the officers with Collinsville Police Department, Crossville Police Department, Jacksonville State Center for Applied Forensics, as well as the neighbors who alerted law enforcement, all of your help and information played a vital role in the quick apprehension of Howard. This is such a tragic and senseless act of violence, and our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of the victim.”
“God Bless!” Concluded Sheriff Welden.
