Joshua Hupperterz, 29, has been charged with murdering 22-year-old Temple University student Jenna Burleigh after allegedly using a Lyft to transport her body over 100 miles.
Burleigh and Hupperterz were previously seen leaving Philadelphia’s Pub Webb together early Thursday morning. Investigators believe Hupperterz killed Burleigh in his apartment that day, with the Wayne County Coroner ruling that she died from blunt trauma and strangulation. He then allegedly stored her body inside a storage bin at his mother’s home in Jenkinstown, Pennsylvania, before directing a Lyft to move the body to his grandmother’s house in Wayne County.
On Saturday, investigators processed a vehicle with a “Lyft” tag and Hupperterz was arrested at his grandmother’s house. The rideshare platform has since released a statement regarding the alleged incident.
“The allegations are devastating,” Lyft said, ABC 7 reports. “We stand ready to work with the authorities in their investigation.”
Blood and drugs were later found inside Hupperterz’s apartment after police executed a search warrant. Aside from murder, Hupperterz also faces charges for abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, drug offenses, and possession of an instrument of crime. Police have not yet ruled out charges against others for the crime, although no official arrests have been made as of yet. In 2013, Hupperterz was charged with a DUI, theft, and burglary, according to ABC7.
Friends and family are mourning Burleigh’s death, with her father Ed Burleigh turning to Facebook to commemorate her daughter’s life.
“Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven,” Ed Burleigh wrote. “Now I know for sure that you can have a ‘broken heart’ RIP honey.”
“She was an exuberant person,” friend Danielle Halteman said according to the Daily News. “It’s hard to imagine her not being here.”