By Staff
From staff and wire reports
September 20, 2003
PHILADELPHIA Tabby Rentz still can't believe what happened to her friend's daughter.
Mandy Davis, 23, of Philadelphia, was found murdered Thursday, days after being reported missing by her parents. Parts of Davis' body were found in a "duffel-type bag," police said.
Rentz said Davis' mother is "one of the most precious women you'd ever want to meet. We're all just trying to do what we can to help them out."
On Thursday, a man was taken into custody after a standoff with law officers, Neshoba County Sheriff Glen Waddell said. Davis was last seen Sept. 10 and was reported missing by her parents on Saturday.
Waddell said he believes the body found Thursday is Davis. "They found the upper part of her body. It matches her description pretty well," Waddell said.
Dewayne Savell, 34, was arrested around 9:15 p.m. Thursday after a standoff with police at his mobile home in the Hopewell community, Waddell said.
Savell was taken to the Neshoba County jail for questioning, the sheriff said. No charges had been filed Friday.
Waddell said the Mississippi Highway Patrol SWAT team used a device that created a small explosion and smoke before taking Savell into custody.
Davis was last seen at Savell's auto body shop on Sept. 10 after reportedly taking her car there to be repaired.
Police went to the mechanic's shop after the shop called Davis' home to say her car was ready, Philadelphia Police Chief David Edwards said. Her family was unaware she was taking the car to the shop, he said.
The mechanic advised he could not find anything wrong with it,'' Edwards said.
Authorities blocked off a road leading to the auto body shop Thursday and heavily armed law enforcement officials converged on the area.
Davis' body was found in a pond in a remote area along the Pearl River in the Burnside community.