Missing California woman found dead behind ‘secret wall’ inside home, police say

The body of a woman who had been reported missing for days was found hidden behind a “secret wall” in a Northern California home on Tuesday, according to authorities.

Renia Lewis, 28, was last seen Friday and was reported missing Sunday before her body was found behind a “concealed entry into the attic” of a Vallejo home, the Vallejo Police Department announced in a news release.

The search for Lewis led investigators to a home on 14th street, where officers saw “indications that the missing woman may have been inside the residence at some point before going missing,” so they went inside, the news release said. Officers searched the rooms, closets and places a person could hide but couldn’t find Lewis.

On Monday, police activated an Ebony Alert for Lewis, which is an alert system designed to help find missing Black women and children, and asked for help from the FBI.

On Tuesday, acting on “new investigative information,” officers returned to the home on 14th Street and did a more thorough search, discovering the hidden entry to the attic, police said. Douglas Irwin Shaw, 41, was named as the suspect in her killing and arrested.

Shaw allegedly told detectives that he was responsible for the crime and booked into the Solano County Jail on suspicion of murder, according to the release.

“This was a heartbreaking, senseless act of violence that has no place in our community. I am proud of our officers and detectives for making an arrest and solving this case. Above all, our thoughts are with the decedent’s family during this incredibly difficult time,” Police Chief Jason Ta said in a statement.