VALLEJO, Calif. (KRON) — The suspect in the death of a woman whose remains were found concealed in the attic of a Vallejo home has been charged with murder. Renia Lewis, 28, was initially reported missing to the Vallejo Police Department on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Vallejo PD received a report she was last seen in the area of 14th Street and Starr Avenue the previous Friday night. On Sunday, officers conducted a welfare check at a home on 14th Street and searched all the rooms, closets, and “places a person could hide,” police said.
Officers did not locate Lewis initially. However, on Monday, the California Highway Patrol activated an Ebony Alert for Lewis and the Federal Bureau of Investigation stepped in with additional resources.
A subsequent search of the 14th Street home by Vallejo PD detectives revealed a concealed entrance to the attic. Inside, human remains later identified as Lewis were discovered.
Douglas Irwin Shaw, 41, of Vallejo, was identified as a suspect. He was arrested Tuesday at his place of work and booked into Solano County Jail.
On Thursday, the Solano County District Attorney announced that Shaw had been charged with murder. Charging documents allege he killed Lewis with a knife.
Following his arrest, police said Shaw provided a statement to detectives “where he admitted to being responsible for this heinous crime.”
The relationship between the two remains unclear at this time.
At a court appearance Thursday, Shaw was quickly denied bail and did not enter a plea. He is due to be arraigned on Oct. 9.
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