WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - A Winston-Salem woman whose body was found stuffed in a metal trash bin late last year had been suffocated.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that an autopsy report for 30-year-old Shantika Lashae Dunlap shows that she died from asphyxia due to suffocation. She also sustained blunt force injuries.
Her body was found in a trash bin behind a business on Dec. 15, two days after she was reported missing. She was wrapped in a blanket secured with tape.
Mario Bennett, a registered sex offender, is charged with murder in Dunlap’s death. He is being held in a lockup and has a July court date. Authorities have not said whether Bennett knew Dunlap. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney.
Dunlap’s mother has said her daughter was a loving parent to three boys and one girl.
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