Syquavius Hoyett (TBI) and Herman Hollins-Brown (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office)
A missing 15-year-old boy in Tennessee has been found dead several days after his grandmother and legal guardian was allegedly shot and killed by her 41-year-old boyfriend. The body of Syquavius Hoyett, who had been missing since last week, was discovered Monday evening, authorities announced.
“It is with a heavy heart that we pass along that 15-year-old Syqavius Hoyett’s body has been located, and he is deceased,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced in a press release. “We hope for comfort for all of those who knew and loved him.”
Details regarding the manner and cause of Syqavius’ death have not yet been released.
The teen was reported missing on Friday, Aug. 18, one day after his grandmother, Anneria Turman, was found shot in the back of the head in a wooded area near her home. Herman Hollins-Brown, Turman’s boyfriend, was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of abuse of a corpse in connection with her death.
According to a press release from the Memphis Police Department, officers at about 5:22 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17 responded to a “man down” call at an area located at Silas Road and Eyers Road. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders found an adult female victim — later identified as Turman — suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The investigation into Turman’s death led authorities to a home located in the 4000 block of Glenbrook Avenue, which is about half a block away from where Turman’s body was found. There, police located Hollins-Brown and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, police said Brown was in possession of Turman’s 2013 white Chrysler 200.
The release also noted that police had been “unable to locate Turman’s grandson, Syquavius Hoyett,” and authorities on Saturday morning issued an Endangered Child Alert for the missing teen.
A copy of the probable cause affidavit obtained by Memphis ABC affiliate ABC24 provided additional details about Turman’s death.
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According to the report, an autopsy performed on Turman by the county medical examiner revealed that she was killed by a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
When police entered Hollins-Brown’s home, they reportedly wrote that they observed what appeared to be blood smeared on his concrete floor. Hollins-Brown was not initially at the Glenbrook Avenue home when police arrived, but he was reportedly spotted driving past the residence in Turman’s vehicle shortly after investigators obtained a warrant to search his home.
Police reportedly conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. When officers approached the car, they reportedly saw what appeared to be blood on the trunk and back bumper. Hollins-Brown, who was allegedly driving the vehicle, was then arrested.
Additionally, as police were taking Hollins-Brown into custody, members of his family reportedly began showing up at his residence. Police said they heard him allegedly tell some of those family members, “I’m going to be gone for a while.”
A search of Hollins-Brown’s home reportedly revealed blood spatter in multiple rooms and a metallic fragment from a bullet. Police also said they found Turman’s purse and her cellphone, both of which were located next to what appeared to be blood.
Hollins-Brown is currently being held in the Shelby County Detention Center without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning.
It is unclear whether authorities believe Hollins-Brown was involved in Syqavius’ death. According to jail records, he has not been charged with any additional crimes and police did not immediately respond to a message from Law&Crime seeking comment on the case.
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