A missing 16-year-old Tennessee girl is safe and her 18-year-old boyfriend is behind bars after they were found by a Jones County Sheriff’s Department deputy early Friday morning.
William Dylan Usry of Knoxville was pulled over by JCSD Sgt. Jeff Monk soon after he passed through Heidelberg and entered Jones County on Interstate 59 just after 1 a.m. The driver’s girlfriend Holly Piper, for whom an Amber Alert had been issued in Tennessee, was inside the white 1999 Dodge Caravan that Usry was driving. When Monk called in the Tennessee tag, it came back to a Ford Mustang, according to the report. JCSD Sgt. Derick Knight and his squad assisted.
Usry was taken to the Jones County Adult Detention Center and booked on charges for kidnapping and switched tag. He was expected to be transported back to Tennessee to face the felony charge there.
Piper was taken to the Jones County Juvenile Detention Center to await her mother’s arrival from Tennessee before being questioned.
Reports about Usry and Piper flooded news outlets’ and Crime Stoppers’ social-media sites in the Knoxville area since the Amber Alert was issued early this week.
One report showed that Usry was out on bond after leading police on a chase in November 2021 and getting charged with four counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and DUI, among other offenses.
He reportedly picked up Piper after a cookout around 3 a.m. on Sunday and they were believed to be staying in “various large parking lots to avoid detection or bouncing between campgrounds in the surrounding area,” according to a post by East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers. It was believed he was trying to make his way to Newton, where his father lives.
Piper’s mother Shannon Turgeon also posted updates about her daughter’s possible whereabouts along with desperate pleas: “I love you more than words can express. You are my heart, Please Ladybug come home or call.”
Usry’s appearance had changed since some photos that were posted with the alert, which showed him with much longer hair than he has in his mugshot at the Jones County jail.
“Great job by Sgt. Jeff Monk in identifying the vehicle being driven by kidnapping suspect William Usry,” Sheriff Joe Berlin said. “Close coordination with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and prompt action by our personnel led to this arrest.”
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation posted a message of appreciation to the JCSD, Laurel Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol for their efforts.
Turgeon also thanked everyone for their help and support, posting just after 1 a.m. that she was headed to Jones County from Knoxville. “I get to wrap my arms around my ladybug. My heart is coming home.”
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