Missing University of Memphis student found dead, car burned, sources say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A student who disappeared the night before his graduation from the University of Memphis has been found dead.

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Barshay Wilson’s body was found near the Arlington water treatment plant beneath leaves and tree limbs, sources confirmed to WHBQ. The sources told WHBQ’s Jeremy Pierre that a burned car was found yards away from Wilson’s body.

Memphis police confirmed finding a body with “an apparent gunshot wound” in the area where WHBQ reported that Wilson’s body was found, but police did not confirm the victim’s identity.

Wilson’s mother told WHBQ that her 25-year-old son had said he was going to a party on Friday night. Later that night, she got a phone call from a friend, who said that Wilson left her house and never returned.

The Memphis Police Department issued a city-wide alert on Monday for Wilson. In the alert, police said Wilson had not been heard from since leaving a friend’s house on Dec. 9, and described friends and family as “extremely concerned.”

Wilson was supposed to graduate from the University of Memphis on Sunday with a Bachelor of Science degree, but missed the ceremony, WHBQ reported.

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