Man accused of killing pregnant woman and removing unborn baby from her womb

A man accused of killing a pregnant woman was arrested in Tennessee, U.S following a weeklong investigation.

April Barlow Celio, 41, was found dead September 23, 2026 at a home in Pineville, Kentucky. 

The Pineville Police and the Bell County Coroner’s Office determined she was the victim of a homicide.

The next day, investigators learned Celio was pregnant at the time of her death, but the State Medical Examiner’s Office found no fetus in her womb.

While processing the crime scene, investigators later found what are believed to be fetal remains. 

The investigation identified DeMarcus Kenneth Johnson-Wright as a suspect in the case. 

He had an extensive violent criminal history and several outstanding violent felony warrants out of Tennessee.

The Bell County District Court issued a warrant for Johnson-Wright on Sep. 25 for first-degree robbery and kidnapping — adult. 

Additional warrants for him for m8rder — domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence were issued last Wednesday.

That same day, the U.S. Marshals Service learned Johnson-Wright was living in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he was arrested at a home later that night. 

A subsequent search warrant was applied for and granted for the home, and marshals say materials relating to the case were recovered.

Johnson-Wright was booked into the Montgomery County Detention Center in Tennessee, where he is awaiting extradition back to Kentucky.

The investigation is ongoing.