A missing persons case involving a Memphis mother of five reached a shocking end Wednesday after the woman's body was discovered stuffed inside a bed frame in a motel, WMC-TV of Memphis reported.
A police report cited by the NBC News affiliate said the woman, Sony Millbrook, 28, had been killed.
Millbrook was first reported missing in late January after she failed to pick up her children from school. Family members told police that they checked the Budget Lodge hotel where she had been staying, but she never answered.
Repeated attempts to contact her failed on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, family told police.
"She had dropped the younger children off at daycare," Jennifer Pickett told Memphis reporters on Feb. 2. "She dropped the older children off at school and what happened next is a mystery to the family."
Motel staff said they last saw Millbrook on Jan. 27. An employee told police that Millbrook's room had been locked up and that she had not paid her rent. All her personal belongings were still inside the room in late January.
A missing persons case was opened on Millbrook's behalf. A few days later, an officer made another trip to the motel, where he learned that Millbrook hadn't made any payments after January. Her family had come by, however, to pack up her belongings.
Millbrook's room had been cleaned many times since Jan. 28, workers told police. The room also had been rented out several times since her disappearance.
On Monday, motel staff called detectives after a foul odor coming from the room led to the discovery.
Police said Millbrook's body had been stuffed in the metal box frame, which sits on the floor. The box springs and mattress also set inside the metal frame.
During interviews with Millbrook's family, one of her children told investigators that her ex-boyfriend, who is the father of her four children, had been released from jail.
Police questioned the 34-year-old boyfriend. He is currently in jail on a gun charge.