In late October 2017, Brandi Wright , a white female of Center, Texas was reported missing to the Center Police Department.  During the course of the missing persons investigation, her car was located at a residence on County Road 1012 in Shelby County, Texas.

 

 

Investigators from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and Center Police Department, after a search warrant was issued to enter the property, responded to the address and had the vehicle towed to the Center Police Department, where it was processed by a DPS forensic team. A secondary search warrant was obtained to search the property which included approximately 60 acres. Investigators for the District Attorney’s Office, Center Police Department, San Augustine Sheriff’s Department and Texas Parks and Wild Life executed the secondary search warrant on November 17, 2017. During this search, Investigators recovered several 5- gallon buckets of marijuana, an industrial size trashcan of marijuana, a large plastic tote of marijuana, 1,750 marijuana plants and implements that were clearly utilized for the cultivation of marijuana.

 

 

As a result, the resident, Charles Dan Dearing jr, a 69 year old white male was arrested and charged with Possession of Marijuana Felony- 2. During his arraignment on the Possession of Marijuana charge, Mr. Dearing requested to speak with investigators and disclosed where Brandi Wright’s remains could be found on the 60 acres. Investigators from the District Attorney’s Office, Center Police Department, San Augustine Sheriff’s Department and the Texas Rangers executed a third search warrant on the property where the remains of Brandi Wright were exhumed and transported to Tyler for an autopsy. Mr. Dearing was subsequently charged with Murder Felony- 1. Due to the ongoing investigation of the Murder, no more information can be released at this time.

 

Investigator Joey Haley

123rd District Attorney’s Office