Case dismissed for 1 of the men arrested after missing woman’s body found

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) - Court records reveal the case against one of the suspects in a death investigation has been dropped.

Edward Norman and James Michael Barrett were both facing charges of abuse of a corpse after authorities found the body of Britta Lashley last month. A new court filing shows District Judge Joy Pace Booth dismissed the case against Norman Thursday. The dismissal includes “leave to reinstate.”

Barrett’s case has been bound over to a grand jury.

Lashley’s mother reported her missing in June, saying she actually had not been seen since February 2021. Lashley’s “mummified” remains were found in a storage unit in Prattville on July 12.

Investigators believe Norman rented a U-Haul and helped Barrett move her body from a Montgomery hotel to the storage unit.

The deposition alleges Barrett, who was an acquaintance of Lashley’s, spoke with her mother a few weeks prior to the missing report filing but did not tell her Lashley was dead.

While the cause of death is not clear, Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson said there is no evidence of foul play.