In January of 2010, Sony Milbrook, her 5 children, and boyfriend LaKeith Moody were residing at the Budget Lodge located at 1533 East Brooks, Memphis, Tennessee.

On January 27th, 2010, Sony Milbrook was reported missing after failing to pick up her children after school.
This passed Monday, March 15, 2010, Ms. Milbrook’s body was located under the mattress in the motel room where she had been staying.

Missing Mom Sony Milbrook: Body Found Under Mattress In Memphis Motel ( Video )

When family members of Sony Milbrook were notified that she failed to pick up her children after school, they contacted the Memphis Police Department and reported her missing.

Officers were informed that the family had checked the Budget Lodge and were told by staff that Milbrook had last been seen at 7:00 a.m. and that the room had been locked due to lack of payment. They were also told by staff that Sony Milbrook’s personal property was still inside the room. Officers verified this information through a telephone call.

Originally assigned to the Missing Persons Bureau, the case was reassigned to Homicide in February.
Homicide Investigator’s went to the Budget Lodge and spoke with two staff and a security guard. They learned no payments were made after January 26th; that Milbrook’s belongings were boxed up for removal by her family, and the room was released to be rented again.
The room was rented three times between January 29th and February 4th, 2010.

After reports of a bad odor coming from room 222, Ms. Milbrook’s last known location, Homicide Investigators returned to the Budget Lodge on March 15 and located the body of a female identified as Sony Milbrook under the bed; an obvious victim of a homicide. Her cause of death has not been released at this time.

The bed in which the victim was located is a metal box frame which sits directly on the floor and the box springs and mattress sit inside the metal frame. The room had been rented approximately 5 times and cleaned by the hotel staff numerous times since January 27th.

“I’ve worked in homicide for a long time and director Godwin says in his 37 years, he’s never heard of anything like this, its stranger than fiction,” said Scott.

The homicide investigation lead to LaKeith Moody being interrogated and then charged with a gun violation. He is being held on federal gun charges in Mason, TN., and is considered a person of interest.

I find the story ‘Missing Mom Sony Milbrook: Body Found Under Mattress In Memphis Motel’ absolutely incredible! How on earth can it possibly be—yet it is! Be sure to watch the video to see how the body was hidden for so long. What about the odor? No one noticed the smell of death for months?
I know that I, for one, will never stay in a motel again unless I can see clearly under the bed.

There has to be more to this story for a body hidden under a mattress to go undetected for so long, or is it truly possible that we have become so apathetic that we can even overlook the stench of death?

Linda James, sister to Sony Milbrook, said the following:
“As far as I know, my sister could’ve been living and just suffered,” she said, adding, “If the housekeeper was in there cleaning the rooms, why didn’t they check underneath the beds?”

I wouldn’t argue with that. Do you have any thoughts on this sad and bizarre story?

The investigation into the murder of Sony Millbrook is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at (901) 528-CASH (2247).