Authorities have identified the body of a missing flight attendant, Rana Nofal Soluri, through DNA testing. Soluri’s remains were discovered in a Texas creek in June by a fisherman, according to officials.
The fisherman found the body on the banks of Brushy Creek in Montague County, about 70 miles northwest of Fort Worth. Police and local reports confirmed these details. The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Health’s Center for Human Identification for DNA testing. Recently, the Fort Worth Police Department verified to NBC News that the remains were indeed Soluri’s.
Soluri, aged 47, worked for Envoy Air, a regional carrier under American Airlines. She had been missing since March 2025. After taking leave for a minor surgery, she was expected to resume work by March 31, 2025. However, a colleague reported her missing on June 11, 2025, after repeated attempts to contact her failed.
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Soluri was reportedly murdered in March 2025, but her disappearance was only reported in June. Nearly a year after she went missing, her remains were confirmed last month.
Dennis Day, 67, was Soluri’s former roommate and a longtime friend. He was arrested in June 2025, charged with her murder. According to an arrest warrant, Day confessed to losing control during an argument with Soluri. He admitted to strangling her with his hands.
Day allegedly told investigators he strangled Soluri on the kitchen floor. He then moved her body to the backyard, placed her in a large trash bin, and transported her 70 miles away to dispose of her over a bridge. Court documents detail these events.
Investigators found surveillance footage from Day’s house. The footage reportedly shows him dragging a lifeless body into the backyard on March 21, 2025. An unintentional call and message to a woman’s phone captured Day’s panicked request for help in moving Soluri’s body.
This woman, Joni Thomas, also known as Joanne Walters, 63, was charged with tampering with evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse. Police suspect she assisted Day in disposing of Soluri’s body. Both legal cases are still open.
Before DNA results confirmed the identity, prosecutors reported that Day boasted in jail about avoiding conviction if Soluri’s body was never found. This was highlighted in a notice by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
A GoFundMe page for Soluri’s daughter, Lulu Soluri, shared details of her mother’s burial. American Airlines reportedly helped transport Soluri’s remains to Seattle for a Muslim burial on Sept. 29. The fundraiser states Lulu intends to travel to Texas to speak at a future court date.
The message from the GoFundMe expressed Lulu’s gratitude for the support received during this difficult time. It highlighted her determination to confront the person accused of her mother’s murder.
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