By james art Law enforcement has arrested a TikTok influencer in connection with the slaying of a therapist whose body was found wrapped in a tarp along a Louisiana highway over the weekend.
Therian Ishmael Thomas, 20, was wanted on charges of aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle after the death of William Nicholas Abraham, 69, a court affidavit filed in the case shows.
Abraham’s body was found Sunday along Highway 51 between the unincorporated community of Fluker and the village of Tangipahoa on the state’s southeast border, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said. The body was found partially hidden by the side of the road, about 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, where detectives say the victim worked.
The local medical examiner determined Abraham died 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 there without bail 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 for the killing was not provided by police, and it was not known if the victim and Thomas knew each other.
According to a bio on his web page, Abraham has been 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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The suspect was absconding and wanted before his arrest
According to a warrant, a Baton Rouge police officer attempted to pull over a black Lincoln MKZ in the city about 50 miles southwest of where Abraham’s body was found.
The officer attempted to stop the vehicle after the license plate came back indicating the vehicle was stolen.
The driver backed into the police block and fled the scene before crashing, an officer wrote in the warrant.
During the photo lineup, the police officer involved in the crash identified Thomas as the wanted party.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office released photos of the driver, who is wanted as a person of interest in the case, on Monday.
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Police confirmed that Thomas goes by the name “Mr. Prada 456” on TikTok, WBRZ-TV reported.
USA TODAY contacted Baton Rouge police.
The profile picture on Thomas’s TikTok page is a picture of his face with eyes and mouth crossed out with black X’s.
As of Wednesday, the TikTok page had more than 3.9 million followers and its latest post showed it was uploaded three days ago.
The caption read ‘fyp’ and showed Thomas lifting weights with Katy Perry’s ‘I’m His, He’s Mine’ from her latest album ‘143’ playing in the background.
Thomas in jail without bond in Dallas
It was not known when Thomas was scheduled to stand trial in Louisiana on the charges or if he had secured an attorney.
Anyone with information on Thomas’ whereabouts or the victim’s homicide is asked to contact 985-902-2008.
To share information anonymously, call the Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa tip line at 1-800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com
Natalie Neissa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her at X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Therapist William Abraham found dead; Suspect Terrian Thomas has been arrested