Law enforcement arrested a TikTok influencer in connection to the killing of a therapist whose body was found wrapped in a tarp along a Louisiana highway over the weekend.
Terryon Ishmael Thomas, 20, had been wanted on charges of aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle following the death of William Nicholas Abraham, 69, a court affidavit filed in the case shows.
Abraham’s body was discovered Sunday along Highway 51 between the unincorporated community of Fluker and the Village of Tangipahoa on the state’s southeastern border, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office reported. The body was found partially hidden along the road, about 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, where detectives said the victim worked.
The local coroner determined Abraham died as a result of blunt force trauma and ruled his death a homicide, the sheriff’s office said.
Police arrested Thomas in Dallas, Texas, online jail records show. He was taken into custody Tuesday night and remained jailed there without bond Wednesday.
According to his arrest warrant obtained by USA TODAY, Thomas is from Newellton, a northern Tensas Parish in the northeastern part of the state about 140 miles north of Baton Rouge.
A motive in the killing was not provided by police, and it was not immediately known whether the victim and Thomas knew each other.
According to a biography on his webpage, Abraham was a life coach, licensed professional counselor, motivational speaker, author, and more.
His office was based near the city’s Mid City South neighborhood about seven miles east of downtown Baton Rouge.
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Suspect was on the run and wanted before arrest
According to a warrant, a Baton Rouge Police officer attempted a traffic stop of a black Lincoln MKZ in the city about 50 miles southwest of where Abraham’s body was found.
The officer attempted to pull the vehicle over after its license plate came back, showing the vehicle had been stolen.
The driver backed into the police unit and fled the scene before crashing, an officer wrote in the warrant.
During a photo lineup, the officer involved in the crash identified Thomas as the wanted party.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office released photos of the driver wanted as a person of interest in the case to the public on Monday.
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Police confirmed Thomas goes by the name “Mr. Prada 456” on TikTok, WBRZ-TV reported.
USA TODAY has reached out to Baton Rouge police.
The profile photo on Thomas’ TikTok page is a picture of his face with his eyes and mouth crossed out with black Xs.
On Wednesday, the TikTok page had more than 3.9 million followers and his most recent post showed it was uploaded three days ago.
The caption read “fyp” and showed Thomas lifting weights with Katy Perry’s song, “I’m His, He’s Mine” from her latest Album, “143” playing on background.
Thomas jailed with no bond in Dallas
It was not immediately known when Thomas was due in court in Louisiana on the charges or whether he had obtained an attorney.
Anyone with information about Thomas’ whereabouts or the victim’s killing is asked to contact 985-902-2008.
To share information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa’s tip line at 1-800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Therapist William Abraham found dead; suspect Terryon Thomas arrested
