Man Who Found Influencer Alexis Sharkey’s Body Thought It Was A Mannequin At First: 'He Was Scared'

The case of influencer Alexis Sharkey’s tragic death has already touched so many.

Of course, the 26-year-old’s friends and family are devastated by the loss. But the awful and mysterious circumstances surrounding her passing have had a ripple effect on the community as well.

One such person is John Richardson, who reported Alexis’s body when it was found on the side of the road. A supervisor for City of Houston Solid Waste, Richardson told local news outlet KHOU-11:

“It plays back in my head. It’s been playing back in my head every day.”

The employee who first found the corpse contacted Richardson about the discovery. He explained:

“He said he thought he’d saw a body or a mannequin. He wasn’t too sure. He wasn’t going to stop because he was scared or whatever the case may be, so he asked me to come out there to check it out. … When we were driving, we could see the feet. We got out and looked, and there it was. She was laying there deceased, no clothes on. I just got on the phone, and I called 911.”

Alexis’s mother Stacey Robinault, who previously expressed her belief that foul play was involved in her daughter’s death, also spoke with the outlet. She shared:

“She was a beautiful, fun, ray of light to be around, and I can’t understand it. I think that’s why it’s so surreal for the family, because we can’t grasp on why harm would be done to her.”

So far, the case has provided more questions than answers, particularly regarding the seemingly uninjured state of Alexis’s body and the contradictions in husband Tom Sharkey’s story. As the young woman’s family continues to fight for justice, Robinault said:

“Naturally, it puts us in this terrible state of purgatory, you know, limbo. We’re just trapped in the waiting. I talk to the detectives every day, and they assure me that they are working along, and they are reviewing and talking to people, so I know that they’re working along. To me, five days feels like eternity. And to them, I’m sure they’re just getting rolling.”

She added:

“I guess my question would be why? Why would you do something so horrific to her? What was the ultimate gain? What was gained from that? Because all I know is tremendous loss.”

No matter how this turns out, it’s been such an awful and upsetting tragedy. We continue to keep her family in our thoughts and hope they find peace and justice in Alexis’s name.

[Image via Alexis Sharkey/Instagram]