Here’s what we know so far about Kamarie Holland kidnapping, death investigation
Authorities have searched the Bowman Street house where a Columbus 5-year-old was reported missing Monday morning before her body was found in Phenix City that night.
The home off Fort Benning Road is where Kamarie Holland’s mother Kristy Hoskins reported the child was gone about 6 a.m. Monday, said Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor.
Kamarie’s body was found Monday night in a vacant house at the corner of 14th Court and 15th Avenue, next to Phenix City’s West End Cemetery. Crime scene tape and a balloon memorial to the child were left in front of the home Wednesday.
The evidence there indicated Kamarie had been sexually assaulted, and likely died of asphyxiation, Taylor said.
The Russell County Sheriff is leading the murder investigation with the help of Columbus police. The Columbus Police Department confirmed a search warrant was served at the 1607 Bowman Street home Wednesday evening, but had no additional comment.
About a block from the house, another balloon memorial to Kamarie was arranged Wednesday at the corner of Evergreen Street, with teddy bears beside it.
The suspect
During a Tuesday news conference, Sheriff Taylor said alleged killer Jeremy Tremaine Williams has a history of child abuse accusations, but no convictions:
- Williams in 2009 was charged with child cruelty in Russell County, but a jury acquitted him in 2012, the sheriff said.
- Williams was a suspect in the death of a 1-year-old in Alaska, but never charged, said Taylor, who did not cite a time frame for that.
The sheriff said Williams once lived in the house where Kamarie’s body was found. The address is listed as his home in Columbus court records related to his arrest Aug. 1 for misdemeanor simple battery involving family violence and third-degree child cruelty.
Aug. 1 was Williams’ 37th birthday.
According to police reports, officers were called at 10:30 a.m. to a domestic dispute at Williams’ 1029 Dozier Street home in Columbus, where he allegedly slapped his wife in front of a child. The assault left bruises on the left side of the victim’s face, police reported.
The next day, he was released on his own recognizance, pending a Muscogee State Court hearing set for Feb. 23, according to court records.
In another report, officers said they were called to a second domestic disturbance at the Dozier Street home about 8 p.m. Nov. 27, when Williams’ wife reported he was “irate and argumentative.” In that instance, he was charged with having a drug-related object. Muscogee County Jail records show that’s the last time his mugshot was filed here.
Russell County investigators arrested him Monday night at Phenix City’s Bamboo Motel, 3104 Opelika Road, where he had arrived about 30 minutes before his capture, Taylor said. Prosecutors are charging him with capital murder.
The sheriff said an uncle who was with Williams was not a suspect in the case: “I believe that everybody feels pretty safe that he wasn’t an accessory to any of what went on, prior to being picked up.”
Taylor said investigators spoke with the girl’s mother, Kristy Hoskins, and likely will speak to her again because “that’s just part of the investigation.”
He said Hoskins and Williams had a relationship that was not romantic in nature. The mother told investigators she went to bed around midnight, when her daughter was asleep, and woke up around 5:50 a.m. to find Kamarie gone and the front door ajar, he said.
Hoskins spoke with WTVM Wednesday while she donated Kamarie’s toys to the station’s Annual Toy Drive, the news outlet reported. She told a reporter she’s “coping” with her daughter’s death and that she “lived for (Kamarie) daily.”
“I’m Kamarie Holland’s mommy and she wouldn’t want nothing in the world but to donate her toys to another little child that was in need because she was a very helping child,” she told the station..
Gag order
During his first court hearing Tuesday, Williams said he wanted no attorney. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson appointed Phenix City attorney Chuck Floyd to give the suspect advice. Floyd since has been assigned to serve as Williams’ attorney, representing him in court, authorities said.
Floyd asked Tuesday for a gag order prohibiting Russell County authorities’ divulging any further information related to the investigation, and Johnson agreed.
The order does not apply to officials in Georgia, and Russell County Chief Assistant District Attorney Rick Chancey said it does not include information on court procedure.
The gag order is to be reconsidered in a hearing before Judge Johnson at 2 p.m. Monday.
Kamarie’s funeral will be 11 a.m. EST, Dec. 22 in the C.T. Chapel of Taylor Funeral Home, 1514 Fifth Ave., Phenix City, with Pastor T. Brian Hill officiating, according to the funeral home.
Visitation will be there Dec. 21, from 3-5 p.m.
A GoFundMe account with a goal of $15,000 has been set up to help pay funeral expenses.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 10:53 AM.