Body of Missing Flight Attendant Identified Through DNA Testing

Officials have confirmed the identity of a body found in a Texas creek as that of Rana Nofal Soluri, a missing flight attendant. Her roommate has been charged with her murder. A fisherman discovered her remains on June 13 near Brushy Creek in Montague County, about 70 miles northwest of Fort Worth. The University of North Texas Health’s Center for Human Identification conducted DNA testing, which recently confirmed Soluri’s identity. This information was shared by a spokesperson from the Fort Worth Police Department with NBC News.

Soluri was employed by Envoy Air, a regional airline owned by American Airlines. She had been missing since March 2025 after taking leave for a minor operation. Soluri was expected to return to work on March 31, 2025, but a co-worker reported her missing on June 11, 2025, after several unsuccessful attempts to contact her.

Dennis Day, 67, Soluri’s former roommate and a longtime friend, was arrested in June 2025. He faced charges of murder after allegedly admitting to strangling Soluri during a dispute. Day reportedly used his hands to kill Soluri on the kitchen floor of their home, then moved her body into a black trash bin. According to court documents, he transported her approximately 70 miles to dispose of her remains by throwing them over a bridge. Surveillance footage from Day’s home showed him dragging what appeared to be a lifeless body from the house into the backyard on March 21, 2025.

Evidence further implicated Day through an unintended phone call and message sent to a woman named Joni Thomas, also known as Joanne Walters, 63. The recording captured Day in a panic, asking for help with Soluri’s body. Walters has since been charged with tampering with evidence to impair a human corpse, as she allegedly assisted Day in the disposal of Soluri’s body.

Before the DNA verification, Day reportedly boasted in jail about avoiding conviction if Soluri’s body remained undiscovered, as per the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. A GoFundMe page for Soluri’s daughter, Lulu Soluri, mentioned that American Airlines facilitated transporting her mother’s remains to Seattle for a Muslim burial on September 29. Lulu plans to attend a future court proceeding in Texas to deliver a statement regarding the case.

The GoFundMe page stated that Lulu is grateful for the support she received during this challenging time. Despite being a private individual, she intends to confront the person accused of her mother’s murder.