Sheriff: co-ed was cut up, cremated

MARSHALL, Texas, March 25 (UPI) -- A missing 19-year-old Texas A&M co-ed allegedly was strangled by an ex-boyfriend who cut up and burned the body in a barbeque grill, sheriff's police said.

Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas disclosed in Marshall, Texas, Saturday there would be no search for the body of Tynesha Stewart because "there are no remaining body parts," the Houston Chronicle reported.

Authorities believe Timothy Wayne Shepherd, 27, who is being held on murder charges, was upset with Stewart because she had started a new relationship, KWTX-TV, Waco, reported. He allegedly spent two days burning her body in two barbecue grills on his patio at his apartment.

Stewart was last seen March 15 and was reported missing four days later. Detectives questioned and released Shepherd who then contacted a community activist who persuaded him to confess.

Neighbors noticed Shepherd cooking non-stop March 16-17 and firefighters were even called to his apartment at one point when black smoke started billowing from his grill. Neighbor Dionne Whitaker said she later saw Shepherd dump the grill to the garbage.

Whitaker became very upset upon learning what had been going on. "I wanted to vomit," she said.