HAYDEN, Ala. — UPDATE: The Blount County Sheriff's Office named the person they believe is responsible for dumping thousands of dollars worth of FedEx packages in a Blount County ravine. Five warrants for Cargo Theft have been issued.
Investigators say that the suspect has been cooperative and "gave a full confession under Miranda."
153 of the packages were able to be scanned and delivered to their owners. 247 were unidentifiable.
According to the Blount County Sheriff, the suspect, Deandre Rayshaun Charleston, 22, of Adamsville, dumped loads of packages on five separate occasions between November 17 and November 23. When speaking to investigator, he did not deny dumping the packages. When asked, Sheriff Moon said that Charleston told them that he had a death in the family and some other issues that really burdened him and that he made a poor choice.
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Authorities are trying to figure out how hundreds of FedEx packages ended up dumped in the woods in Alabama.
The Blount County Sheriff's Office says 300 to 400 packages of various sizes were found in a ravine near the small town of Hayden on Wednesday. Sheriff Mark Moon said deputies were sent to guard the scene until FedEx workers could arrive to pick up the packages.
FedEx said in a statement that it's cooperating with law enforcement and is working to transport the packages as quickly as possible. The sheriff said it wasn't clear why the packages were in the ravine, but he hoped to have some answers soon.
The Blount County Sheriff's Office has been inundated with requests for information about missing packages. FedEx has removed them and says they are working to get them delivered, and people with questions are asked to contact FedEx.
The ravine where the packages were found is on private property, and residents are asked to not go to the area to look for packages.
FedEx packages found in Blount County ravine
FedEx issued a statement on Thursday about the incident:
“The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority and we are committed to treating our customers’ packages with the utmost care. We are taking steps to recover and transport the affected packages as quickly as possible. In addition to cooperating with law enforcement, we are conducting a review of this situation and will take the appropriate action. Customers with questions about their shipments can track their packages by visiting http://fedex.com.”
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