Jackson Free Press

After a long search this morning, law enforcement officials discovered the body of 17-year-old Katelyn Beard, who went missing over the weekend. Authorities began searching an area of north Hinds County near Darden Road early today and recovered several items of clothing in a wooded area near Pocahontas.

After Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart arrived, police pulled a body from the woods and confirmed it was Beard.

Beard was reported missing the morning of Aug. 31; the Mississippi Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert later Sunday evening. A press release from the Jackson Police Department stated that police responded to a report of a shooting on Lynda Street in west Jackson Sunday morning between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

When police found Beard's Nissan Altima at 9:40 a.m. Monday, less than a mile away from the home at 1 Dutchman Row in west Jackson, they discovered blood and discerned that there had been a shooting. They believe Beard was shot before being transported, JPD said in a news release.

Police speculate that, after hiding the car, Thompson hid in an abandoned house on Ford Avenue. Police found him there due to a tip. Police were looking for Thompson for aggravated assault, kidnapping and auto theft.

Jackson Police Department spokeswoman Colendula Green said officers captured 19-year-old Dewayne Thompson about 5:45 p.m. Monday. She said charges would be filed, but she didn't immediately say what they would be.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert on Sunday night to report that Katelyn Beard, who drove a car with a Greene County license plate, had been missing since that morning. The alert said she was last seen with Thompson.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.