Mary Collins went to see friends one Saturday in NoDa. That’s where police found her body
The three accused killers of a Charlotte woman whose body was found Saturday near NoDa will make their first appearances in court Tuesday to face murder and kidnapping charges.
Mary Collins, 20, was last seen on the afternoon of March 28 near Archdale Drive and South Boulevard, dressed in a black-and-white striped shirt and a black beanie, and carrying a Marilyn Manson purse. She was believed at the time to have made her way across town to meet friends in NoDa, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officials have said.
That’s where she was found — on Rollerton Road, a block behind the Johnston YMCA and Cabo Fish Taco restaurant.
During the resulting investigation, police say they homed in on three suspects.
Lavi Pham, 21, James “Jimmy” Salerno, 19, and Kelly Lavery, 24, were each charged with murder and kidnapping on Saturday, police records show. They remained in custody Monday in the Mecklenburg County Jail.
The trio will appear in court Tuesday afternoon.
Police declined Monday to say how the three are linked to Collins, who was missing two days before relatives contacted police, and who had been described by family members as having a cognitive disability.
