NASHVILLE — Authorities have made two arrests in the death of a Rocky Mount man whose body was found in a Castalia brush fire last month.

The decedent has been identified as 27-year-old Dominick Jermaine Parker. He died of gunshot wounds.

“After the death, the suspects attempted to burn the body in an attempt to cover up the crime, which resulted in the brush fire that led to the initial discovery,” said Maj. Eddie Moore of the Nash County Sheriff’s Office.

Elijah Devone Alston, 26,  has been charged with first-degree murder and concealment and failure to report a death. 

Cimone Altanese Johnson, 25, has been charged with accessory after the fact to murder for this case along with other drug charges that were already outstanding from an ongoing unrelated narcotics investigation. 

Alston, of James Road northeast of Nashville, is being held without bond. Johnson, of Athletic Club Boulevard in Clayton, received a $500,000 secured bond. Both are being held in the Nash County Detention Center. 

“A clear motive in this case is unknown at this time,” Moore said.

On Dec. 30, deputies and firefighters responded to a suspicious fire call on the 8300 block of N.C. 58 North. They found Parker’s body in a brush fire.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information in the case can call the sheriff’s office at 252-459-4121.