HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WNCN) – The ex-boyfriend of a Holly Springs mother who has been missing for more than a year was arrested Tuesday in Virginia for her murder, Holly Springs spokesperson Mark Andrews said.
Brian Sluss, 44, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Tazewell County, Virginia on a murder indictment. Monica Moynan, his ex-girlfriend, was last seen in April 2019 and was reported missing in July 2019.
Holly Springs police have been investigating the matter as a homicide since October. Warrants have shown that Moynan and Sluss had a history of domestic violence. He was identified as a person of interest in the death of the 23-year-old mother of two. His ex-wife was also named as a person of interest.
Sluss was arrested at the home of his parents in Bluefield, Va. late Tuesday afternoon, according to Holly Springs officials.
Moynan’s pregnancy may have led to her death, according to warrants released in October. Holly Springs police searched her residence multiple times. They found a positive pregnancy test during one of those searches, along with a box of tests.
Documents showed Sluss admitted to using her phone and pretending to be her in text messages and on social media. Her friends and family thought messages received from her may have been from someone else. Her mother told investigators they saw each other once a week until March 2019 when they began only speaking in text messages.
Moynan’s mother requested a wellness check on July 19, 2019.
Sluss had also been driving her car and had her cellphone. Virginia deputies who made contact with him on July 23 said he had Moynan’s phone in the car and the car had a chemical smell.
According to documents, Sluss claimed Moynan was addicted to heroin, but later admitted that was a lie. He didn’t know how to tell Moynan’s mother she was missing and a drug addict. He also said he had received a text message from her with a picture of their children that said: “I can’t do this anymore.” He also said he didn’t report her missing because he expected her to come home.
Holly Springs police said no major development led to the arrest. It is still ongoing, but the district attorney’s office felt comfortable with presenting the case. A grand jury returned the indictment on Tuesday.
A GoFundMe has been created for Moynan’s children.
Sluss is being held in Tazewell County, Va., pending a court appearance in Virginia Wednesday morning.
Sluss will be returned to North Carolina “as soon as possible” to face charges, a Holly Springs news release said.
This story will be updated as more information is released.