In the late autumn of 2020, the life of 17-year-old Azareyiah Rae Rae Mitchell was tragically cut short, leaving a community in mourning and a family searching for answers. An African American female from Oak Hill, West Virginia, Azareyiah was last seen on September 28, 2020, in the company of two individuals, setting off a chain of events that would ultimately lead to a grim discovery and a homicide investigation.
The search for the missing teenager came to a heartbreaking conclusion when her body was found in another state. The investigation into her disappearance quickly shifted to a homicide case, with authorities focusing on the two people she was last seen with. What began as a missing person case had unraveled into a complex and disturbing crime that crossed state lines.
Investigators determined that an altercation at an apartment in Summers County preceded Azareyiah's death.
This confrontation appears to have been the catalyst for the tragic events that followed. Subsequently, two suspects were identified and taken into custody in connection with her death. Steven Marvin Lawson Jr., who was reportedly in a relationship with Mitchell, and Jalesa Dashea Bass were arrested and faced serious charges. Bass was charged with second-degree murder, concealment of a deceased human body, and conspiracy. Lawson faced charges of accessory to murder, concealment of a deceased body, and conspiracy. Following their arrest, both were held at the Southern Regional Jail.
