Sister of Atlanta man found dead in Birmingham speaks out

An Alabama family is mourning the loss of a loved one who lived in Atlanta.

Deundray Cottrell, 31, was murdered on July 4. His family reported him missing nearly two days before his body was found on July 6 in a Birmingham neighborhood not far from where he vanished.

Channel 2’s Elizabeth Rawlins He spoke about how investigators are searching for his boyfriend, Julian Morris, 31.

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Morris is also originally from the Atlanta area.

Investigators are searching for Morris, who is believed to have been the last person to see Cottrell alive on July 4 before he was found dead days later.

Family members told Rawlins WSB tonight at 11pm Sunday, they suspect he knows exactly what happened.

Rawlins spoke with Angelica Cottrell, the victim’s sister.

“Oh, it was definitely confirmed today that my brother was murdered,” Cottrell said.

The victim and Morris drove from Atlanta to Birmingham to celebrate the holiday.

“My kids started setting off fireworks and because my brother had his dog with him, he would run really fast into the house and go see the dog,” Cottrell said.

She said it was Morris who alerted her to her brother’s disappearance, saying he had jumped from her patio balcony.

“He told us that when he jumped, he bounced… got up, jumped the fence and started running,” she said.

She added that his initial reaction and behavior was bizarre.

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“As we were watching, Julian didn’t stop there,” she said. “At one point, while everyone was looking, Julian had prepared a plate and was sitting there eating, and he looked at me and said, oh my God, this food is so good.”

Fearing that Morris knew more than he was letting on, Angelica told him to leave and find somewhere else to stay.

“Julian knows everything and he kept reminding me throughout his rants that he was a Marine,” she said.

Morris is no longer answering calls.

If you have any information, call Birmingham Police or Crimestoppers.

There is currently a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

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