Tiffany Osborne, a 30-year-old mother of three from Midfield, Alabama, was reported missing on February 19, 2020, two days after she was last seen. Her boyfriend, Cedric Earl Watts Jr., told police that she had left their home on the night of February 17, 2020, to walk to a nearby store for cigarettes and never returned. He mentioned that she did not take her phone with her. Concerns grew for her welfare, as her family stated it was uncharacteristic for her to leave her children, who included a 3-month-old infant.
Nearly two months after her disappearance, on April 1, 2020, a worker cutting grass discovered human remains. The decomposing body had been wrapped, concealed under an old mattress, and dumped in an industrial area in Bessemer. Authorities soon identified the remains as those of Tiffany Osborne, and her death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation into Osborne's death led authorities to her boyfriend, Cedric Earl Watts Jr. Investigators believe that an intense argument between the couple escalated, resulting in Watts fatally shooting Osborne. It is alleged that he then transported her body to the isolated, unfinished road where she was later found. At the time he was charged with her murder, Watts was already in jail on a probation violation.
In a subsequent court proceeding, Cedric Earl Watts Jr. pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter in connection with Tiffany Osborne's death. He was initially charged with murder, but the plea agreement lessened the charge. Following his guilty plea, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison, which included credit for time already served.
