MERCER COUNTY, W.Va. –A Mercer County man is facing murder charges after police officers located a body earlier this week near Bastian, Va.
Donald Ray Pennington, 59, was arrested on May 12 and charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.
The identity of the victim, which was found by the Bluefield Police Department and the Bland County Sheriff’s Office, has not been released. However, the body is believed to be that of Bluefield woman who was reported missing last week on May. Her family said they hadn’t heard from her since mid-April.
If convicted, second-degree murder is a felony and punishable by between 10 and 40 years in prison and concealment is punishable by between one and five years in prison and a fine between $1,000 and $5,000.
He is being held on a $500,000 surety/cash bond at Southern Regional Jail.