Jackie Vandagriff, a 24-year-old nutrition major at the Texas Women’s University, was killed on September 14. The man suspected of her murder, 30-year-old Charles Bryant, was also being investigated for stalking and harassing an ex-girlfriend at the time.
Surveillance footage show the two leaving a Denton bar together at around 10 pm on the 13th. Shortly before that, Vandagriff had tweeted about abandoning Tinder, writing, “I’m glad I decided to get off tinder and waked [sic] to a bar.”
Her body was found the next morning off the trail of a park in Grapevine, Texas, according to The Washington Post, which reports she had been dismembered and burned, then wrapped in an inflatable kiddie pool.
Bryant is now facing capital murder charges. Though he initially denied going home with Vandagriff, police were able to examine his cell phone data which showed he’d been in the same area. A search of his house found Vandagriff’s purse in his trash can, and a kiddie pool of the same make. Bryant’s roommate told police it was one of two they had kept in their backyard. Surveillance video at Walmart also shows Bryant buying a shovel several hours after meeting with Vandagriff.
On Thursday, a day after Vandagriff’s body was found, someone tweeted from her account, “Never knew I could feel like this.”
Bryant, police say, was also involved in a stalking and harassment case, in which he allegedly pursued his ex-girlfriend, a student at University of North Texas, following her to work and her dorm and sending threatening text messages. She called police several times, and Bryant was eventually arrested for criminal trespassing and stalking. A judge issued an order of protection against him. Yet, three days after Vandagriff’s murder, he contacted her again, asking for her to drop charges and see him.
Bryant is being held on a $1 million bond. Vandagriff’s childhood best friend, Jackie Ton, has started a GoFundMe page to cover the cost of her burial. She writes, “She had a passion like no other and a heart as pure as an angel. Her drive inspired me to be better every day.”
