Virginia Man Allegedly Shot Woman Found Dead In Gravel Lot, Sheriff Says

A Virginia man was arrested after he allegedly fatally shot a woman whose body was discovered in a gravel lot, authorities said.

On Oct. 8, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the report of a body and located 33-year-old Elizabeth Hensley.

The victim’s burnt out and abandoned car was later found in a secluded area of the county, the sheriff’s office said.

More than two weeks later, on Oct. 24, authorities executed a search warrant on the Clifton Forge home of Matthew Griffin, 47, and they took him into custody on an outstanding violation of probation. He was ordered held without bond and booked into the Botetourt–Craig Regional Jail.

According to officials, the search of Griffin’s property allegedly turned up a gun and ammunition that matched the make of a weapon used to fire a bullet of the same caliber recovered at the crime scene.

"The gun and ammunition have been sent to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science’s lab in Roanoke for forensic and ballistic examination,” the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives served Griffin with a second-degree murder warrant earlier this month and they expect to charge him with additional crimes.

“Our detectives did an outstanding job investigating this brutal murder. They have worked diligently since the beginning to uncover the necessary evidence and information needed to make an arrest and bring this heinous crime to a close,” Botetourt County Sheriff Matt Ward said.

“Whether you come from outside the area, like this alleged suspect, or not, these crimes will not be tolerated in Botetourt County, and we will use every resource available to bring these cases to a successful conclusion,” Ward added.