Man turns himself in on murder charge of 72-year-old landlord who has been missing for months: cops

The body of a missing 72-year-old Virginia woman was found after a 25-year-old man who used to live with her led police to her remains, police say.

On June 3, the Fairfax County Police Department said Emily Lu, 72, went shopping at an Aldi store in Virginia, but her car was later found at her home with her items still inside.

On June 4, she was reported missing after she did not show up for her job, police said.

In the weeks that followed, her family placed flyers in the area and pleaded with the public to help find her, authorities said. But, she could not be found.

On June 15, some of Lu’s clothing was discovered a short distance from her home and about 20 officers searched the area, police said.

Investigators said they searched for her on foot, via helicopter and by drone and even drained a retention pond and searched below ground, police said. But, again, no luck in finding Lu.

Fairfax police Maj. Ed O’Carroll said “dozens and dozens” of interviews pointed to Brian George Sayrs, Jr., 25, as a person of interest in her disappearance.

Sayrs was interviewed during the investigation and he knew he was a person of interest. Police said they were working on getting an arrest warrant for him before Lu’s body was found.

On July 23, Sayrs called police and met with them immediately and brought them to where the body was left, authorities said.

O’Carroll said her body was found less than two miles from her home and previous searches “came close” to finding her remains.

Officials said they did not know why Sayrs called police weeks after the killing, but they credited the active police investigation and media attention on the case.

An autopsy of Lu’s body was planned and police said they would continue to search the area where her body was found.

Officials said evidence found inside her home suggests she was killed there. Police said it was a “brutal, vicious murder,” but the motive was not clear and they did not share an exact timeline of events.

Sayrs was arrested and now faces a second-degree murder charge, as well as felony concealment of a body, officials said. He is being held in a Virginia jail without bond.