Alabama man charged with murder in mother's disappearance

MILLBROOK, Ala. - The son of a missing Alabama woman has been charged with murder.

Police in Millbrook, Ala., said 27-year-old Sedrick Clayton was arrested Friday and charged with killing his 49-year-old mother, Anita Washington, who was reported missing on Wednesday.

Police Chief P.K. Johnson said investigators learned Clayton was the last person to see Washington. He also said detectives were told the relationship between mother and son had deteriorated in the weeks leading up to Washington's disappearance.

Johnson said authorities believe a body that was found Saturday near Millbrook is the missing woman. A cattle farmer found the body wrapped in a sheet in a wooded area near an intersection, reports CBS affiliate WAKA. Police said the body was badly decomposed but otherwise would not go into detail about its condition.

The Alabama Bureau of Forensic Sciences is working to identify the body and determine cause of death.

Johnson said evidence collected at Washington's home and vehicle pointed to Clayton as the main suspect, reports the station.

Police said the woman's ex-husband was charged with attempted murder in 2008 after allegedly shooting Washington in a school parking lot.

Clayton is in the Elmore County Jail without bond. It's unclear if he has an attorney.