A Kentucky man has been charged with murder in connection with the 2015 disappearance of his pregnant girlfriend, according to reports from the Times of Northwest Indiana and PEOPLE.
Rochelle, 20, was a student at Calumet College of Saint Joseph in Hammond, Indiana. She left class on Nov. 10, 2015, and was reported missing two days later. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports that police believe her boyfriend, Derron, killed her that same day.
PEOPLE reports that Derron was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Rochelle and her unborn child, along with obstruction of justice. He was arrested earlier this month and extradited to Indiana. He is being held without bond, and a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf at a hearing this week. A charge is not a conviction, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Rochelle’s body has not been found. Her family has said she was expecting a baby boy.
According to the reports, Derron told police in 2015 that he and Rochelle were not together and that the child was not his. Investigators found her car abandoned in Gary, Indiana, along with broken glasses and a pair of shoes in the area. PEOPLE also reports that a woman Derron was involved with in late 2015 was interviewed by detectives last summer, and that she allegedly told them he admitted to the killing. Those claims have not been tested in court.
Authorities have not publicly shared a motive. Rochelle was studying criminal justice and hoped to build a career in law enforcement.
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