If there’s one thing Alexis Sharkey’s friends and family can agree on, it’s that the 26-year-old was always with her phone and never missed a message.
So when the Texas influencer with more than 21,000 Instagram followers – who had recently expressed her desire to divorce her less than a year old husband – went silent on the radio Friday night after spending Thanksgiving with friends, the alarm bell has sounded.
“I immediately knew something was wrong,” the 26-year-old’s best friend said on Monday, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. “She has never been known to disappear or not answer her phone. I don’t think we’ve ever gone more than six hours without texting. “
Another friend, Mallory DeLise, said, “Lex would never run away and she always had her phone because that’s how we run our business,” referring to their marketing and social media work for the company. Monat hair care.
“Her life was social media – so her phone was her life,” added a third friend.
Their worst fears were confirmed on Sunday morning when the Houston Police Department announced the discovery of a naked body nestled in bushes on the side of a road about four minutes from Sharkey’s house. Hours later, authorities matched her DNA to the remains, ending a frantic two-day search for the 26-year-old which made waves on social media.
“It is with a deeply broken heart that Mike and I want to let you know that Lexi’s body has been found.” We cannot begin to thank you all for your love and the kind words you have addressed to our family! Stacey Robinault, her mother, wrote on Facebook on Sunday evening. “Please give us this time to mourn this incredible loss for our family and this world !!! We will miss you, my love !!!! “
Authorities have yet to provide details of Sharkey’s death – pending an autopsy from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences – but a police spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Beast that she was found without visible injuries and that homicide detectives were involved in the investigation.
A self-proclaimed “mentor,” Sharkey has frequently published articles about her glamorous travels and her interest in health and wellness. In her latest post on Nov. 22, the 26-year-old described her desire to move to Tulum, saying she had fallen in love with “the sinks and the overall aesthetic” of the popular Mexican vacation destination. Sharkey also had around 54,600 followers on TikTok, where she spent time creating hair care and fashion videos.
Despite her sunny personality online, several friends said the 26-year-old had a rocky relationship with her new husband, Tom Sharkey, whom she married in December.
“She and her husband were going through a divorce,” a friend said. The decision to end her marriage, the friend said, came after a girls’ trip to Marfa, Texas last month where Sharkey claimed her husband “got hold of her.”
“Throughout the trip he sent her some really horrible and nasty messages,” the friend said. “But one night when she and I were talking on their own, she said, ‘He strangles me and chokes me and I pass out and wake up on the bathroom floor every time.'”
Two other friends also told the Daily Beast that Sharkey complained of physical abuse and said her husband could be “controlling and manipulative” in groups.
While it’s not clear if Sharkey actually filed documents to dissolve her marriage, friends said her behavior changed over the past month. She didn’t post as much on social media and always wanted to “be with her friends all the time to avoid coming home”.
“I know they were going through some things,” Kendra Martin, a friend of Sharkey’s, told The Daily Beast. “She had mentioned that she had been separated while they still lived in the same apartment. I actually brushed her aside two weeks ago to let her know that I’m here for her and that I know something is going on because her behavior has changed over the past month.
Her struggles at home prompted Sharkey to spend Thanksgiving with her friend Tanya R. and her family. Tanya told the Daily Beast that Sharkey “had a wonderful time” laughing and playing board games.
The mother of the 26-year-old, who lives in Pennsylvania, told ABC13 she spoke briefly to her daughter on Thursday, but the vacation “ was a busy day for her and our side, so it was just one of those passing by. “I love you” things. “
“Then Friday… honestly, Friday is gone. [It was a] busy day. We never spoke, then she disappeared Friday night and I haven’t seen or heard her since, ”said Robinault.
Sharkey’s friends said they were concerned when she stopped responding to messages around 6 p.m. Friday. A few hours later, they filed a police report and contacted her parents.
“Please share this message !!! My daughter, Alexis Sharkey, is missing !! Robinault wrote on November 28. “No one has heard from her for more than 24 hours and the police are involved. She has been living in Houston, Texas since January and it was there that she was last seen. Help us find her and bring her home safely !! We are so desperate !!! Please share !! “
Two friends said Tom Sharkey told them he had an argument with his wife before his disappearance and claimed that she “jumped over the fence to their patio and into a car”.
Following the news that Sharkey’s body was found by a city worker who allegedly noticed feet sticking out of bushes right next to a freeway on Saturday, her husband began posting a series of photos on social media in tribute.
In an article, which included a photo of his late wife in a wedding dress, Tom Sharkey wrote: “You made life so amazing! Makes sense of my existence! My goal! And showed me how to really love! In another, he added: “My world! My everything! I’m so lost right now! My one and only!”
Minutes later, the 49-year-old blasted all the “bullshit” he said was wasting time trying to find his wife. “And if my wife had seen this, she would be disappointed with your actions!” he wrote. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves! I helped MPs and made phone calls to figure out what happened to my wife. Next time … stop and think! And realize! You don’t know not all!
The Houston Police Department has not named any suspects or persons of interest in connection with the death of Alexis Sharkey. Tom Sharkey did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s multiple requests for comment.
“Alexis had a beautiful, carefree mind. I considered her a little sister to me. We met about a year ago, we had both moved to Houston the same month and then our group of friends started to grow, ”said Martin. “She was a shining light, she had this indescribable warmth in her, everyone she met was drawn to her loving nature. She was always full of joy and had so much life. This girl loved her oysters and sushi, I think I will miss these the most. My dear friend is missed by so many people, and we will get justice for this horrible crime.
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