A man previously arrested on charges that he beat and kidnapped his girlfriend has been taken back into custody over accusations that he killed her and burned the body.
Dennis Harrington, 42, has been charged with capital murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of Rebecca Lauer, 35, the Lonoke County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, authorities say Harrington killed Lauer after the couple got into a fight in late July and then asked a friend, Steven Boulanger, to help him burn Lauer’s body.
Harrington previously denied having any involvement in Lauer’s disappearance, according to the affidavit.
Lauer was first reported missing on July 28, and human bones were found Sept. 24 on Harrington’s property at 3505 Clayhill Road. Officials at the state Crime Laboratory said the bones belonged to a human, although “they advised due to the bones being burned they could not identify the DNA profile from the bones,” according the affidavit.
Harrington had been arrested in September on charges of kidnapping and assault related to the case. He is currently being held without bail at the Cummins Unit in Grady on a parole revocation over previous charges stemming from the investigation.
