A Missouri man called 911 after his girlfriend died at a motel, but investigators say a disturbing discovery soon turned the case into a homicide investigation.
Nicholas Ayres, 35, is now charged with second-degree felony murder and first-degree domestic assault in the death of 37-year-old Destiny Dunn, according to Columbia Police and Boone County jail records.
The investigation began around 3:22 p.m. on Aug. 12, when Ayres called 911 and told a dispatcher that Dunn was lying down, might have a heartbeat and appeared "red and blue," according to a probable cause statement (PCS) reviewed by Fox News Digital.
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Ayres told the dispatcher the couple had gotten into an altercation while they were in the shower and claimed Dunn fell after he got out, the court document states.
But as the dispatcher pressed him about Dunn's condition, Ayres allegedly acknowledged they had been fighting and that she was bruised.
"It looks like I f---ing beat her up and I promise to God I didn't do it," Ayres allegedly told the dispatcher, according to the PCS. The dispatcher then instructed him on performing chest compressions.
Officers arrived about a minute later and found Dunn dead, according to the affidavit. Investigators described bruising across her body, including severe bruising to her neck and face, as well as swollen and discolored eyelids.
Police quickly began piecing together what allegedly happened inside the motel room. Neighbors who shared a wall told investigators they had heard what sounded like a physical altercation around 11 a.m. that morning, according to the court filing.
Ayres was taken into custody. During a post-Miranda interview, he allegedly admitted having physical altercations with Dunn on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, but characterized them as accidental and told investigators he "does not beat women," the affidavit alleges.
Then investigators searched the motel room.
Police said they found Ayres' cellphone, and its contents allegedly provided a disturbing timeline stretching from the days before Dunn's death into her final hours.
One video recorded Aug. 10 showed Dunn without bruising on her face, according to the affidavit. Another recording from later that night allegedly showed Ayres repeatedly assaulting her for more than a minute.
In that video, investigators allege Ayres could be heard telling Dunn to "clean up her mess" as sounds of slapping and punching were captured. Near the end, police said Ayres appeared to grab Dunn by the hair and punch her in the face, knocking her down.
By the afternoon of Aug. 12, the recordings allegedly painted a far more dire picture.
At 12:06 p.m., police said a photo showed Dunn lying in a bathtub wearing only a shirt. A five-second video recorded at the same time allegedly showed her barely moving.
Two minutes later, another video allegedly captured Ayres pacing between the motel room and bathroom while a woman could be heard groaning. About a minute into the recording, investigators say Ayres told Dunn he was "really calling 911."
"I have to because I'm not going down for manslaughter," he allegedly said, according to the affidavit.
But the 911 call that followed did not bring police rushing to the motel.
At 12:21 p.m., just 13 minutes after the video, Ayres called 911 and told dispatchers the call was accidental, according to the probable cause statement. He verified his name, phone number and location before disconnecting.
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It would be roughly three more hours before the 3:22 p.m. call that brought officers to Dunn.
Police also photographed what the affidavit described as defensive wounds on Ayres' left wrist and torso.
Investigators ultimately determined Dunn's death was a homicide, Columbia Police said. In the PCS, an officer alleged Ayres physically assaulted Dunn "to the point she died from her injuries."
Ayres is being held without bond, according to jail records, and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 2.
As the criminal case moves forward, Dunn's family is remembering her as far more than the victim at the center of a homicide investigation.
Her sister, Marinah Hollon, described Dunn in a GoFundMe as a "loving, nurturing, and incredibly sweet person" and a mother whose death has left her children facing life without her.
"She had a beautiful soul and a heart that cared deeply for the people around her," Hollon wrote. "She was someone who brought love and kindness into the lives of others."
"No family should ever have to endure this kind of heartbreak," Hollon wrote.
Columbia Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
