Actress and yoga instructor Tricia McCauley, who disappeared on her way to a Christmas dinner, has been found dead.
The Washington, D.C., resident was found dead in her White Toyota Scion car , according to CBS News . Police confirmed that they had a person of interest in custody. Around 10:50 p.m. on Monday, surveillance footage captured the man driving the 46-year-old woman’s car from a CVS on Rhode Island Avenue. Her car was found less than three hours later.
A picture of the man has been made public. Authorities are asking members of the public with any information to come forward and help piece together the timeline from when McCauley disappeared to when her body was discovered in her car. The name of the suspect is still being withheld. Police say they do not think the pair knew each other.
#DC yoga instructor & herbalist Tricia McCauley reported missing. Her car also unaccounted for @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/IFDe1mNDNM
— Jackie Bensen (@jackiebensen) December 27, 2016
In a news conference, Interim D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham revealed that the actress’s body showed visible signs of trauma, but he stopped short of calling the death a homicide. According to the Washington Post , the suspect had been sighted on Monday at a CVS store where a theft occurred and had reportedly assaulted an employee. He was arrested after someone anonymously tipped off police after recognizing McCauley’s vehicle after a 911 alert had been broadcast.
There is the likelihood that he was driving around with the body of the 46-year-old woman in the car.
Her brother, Brian McCauley, announced her death on a Facebook page frequented by friends, relatives, and concerned people after a frantic search began for the 46-year-old when she failed to turn up for her friend’s Christmas dinner. In an update early Tuesday, Brian announced that his sister had been found dead and thanked all those that supported in the search to find her.
“Tricia is gone, they found her body. Thank you all for your work, support and love. To all of her DC family, I know she truly thought of you that way, thank you for being there for her all these years. Hang on to each other.”
Have you seen this man? He’s in custody for #TriciaMcCauley ‘s death. Police say he was spotted several times in her car around NW & NE DC pic.twitter.com/n0qPaeRuOo
— Anjali Hemphill (@AnjaliHemphill) December 27, 2016
Police had visited her home on North Capitol Street in the Bloomingdale neighborhood looking for clues that could provide pointers to her disappearance. According to Brian, police said her credit cards had been used Tuesday but did not elaborate after that. The Facebook group was switched to private after the discovery of the 46-year-old Washington, D.C., resident.
McCauley had been on her way to the Christmas dinner and notified her friend by text around 4:30 p.m. The friend said she “never arrived or responded to calls or texts.” According to him, the yoga instructor had previously bungled a dinner date when she slept through it and missed a flight out of Ronald Reagan National Airport when she tried to visit relatives. As such, he did not see any reason to initially raise an alarm when she did not show.
McCauley’s website showed her to be a woman of many parts. The actress was a member of the Washington State Guild, a theater-based company. In October, she starred in three different roles in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime , a novel adaptation by Oscar Wilde.
Missing Person Critical 46 y/o Tricia Lynn McCauley white female, ’5”4 120 lbs,brn eyes, brn hair LOF wht 2 drToy Scion IQ DC Tags FC-0274. pic.twitter.com/JagTfgJIKy
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) December 27, 2016
The 46-year-old was in Step Up , a 2006 dance movie, starring Channing Tatum. She also acted in a horror movie, Never Dream: The Beginning , and Paper Girl , a short drama. The actress was also a certified nutritionist and licensed health coach. She held a Master’s degree in herbal medicine.
A wide array of skills appears on her resume, including basic tap dance, cartwheels, calligraphy, teleprompter voice over, acroyoga, quick dialect study, gardening, lotion and lip balm making, and the ability to move either eyebrow separately.
[Featured Image by Jayson Photography/iThinkStock]
