JASPER COUNTY — A man is wanted for questioning in a murder investigation after a missing Jasper man's family used a cellphone app to track him and discovered his body in the woods earlier this month.
Justin Keathon Debourgeois, 20, is wanted in Jasper and Hardin Counties for other warrants unrelated to this investigation, but Jasper County Sheriff Mitchell Newman said they want to question Debourgeois about Christopher Spikes' death and collect a DNA sample.
Lanieka Spikes, Christopher's mom, said her son and Debourgeois were friends for many years.
Lanieka said Debourgeois was seen with Christopher the day he went missing. She said she even tried to get in contact with Debourgeois.
"I called his telephone number and he hung up in my face," said Lanieka Spikes.
The body of 22-year-old Christopher Spikes, a Jasper native, was found Dec. 7 about 9:20 p.m. by a family member on Hi-Trutt Road, just off Highway 96 North. Spikes had been missing for about a day when family members used a tracking app in his cellphone to find his body.
Jasper County Sheriff's Office is actively investigating the homicide, Newman said in a news release. Newman said a search warrant was issued for the DNA sample on Dec. 17, but law enforcement has been unable to locate him.
Newman asked for the community's help in locating Debourgeois. Anyone who sees him is asked to call their local law enforcement agency or 911.
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If you have information about this crime, you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or text "BMT" followed by your tip information to CRIMES (274637) from your mobile phone.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive confirmed information.