A West Virginia man confessed to authorities after allegedly beating and abandoning his pregnant girlfriend in the woods.
According to local outlets WCHS, WV MetroNews, and WSAZ, 21-year-old Logan Willis of Oak Hill called 911 from a gas station in rural Kenna on Friday afternoon, June 6, to allegedly confess that he believed he had murdered his girlfriend.
However, his girlfriend was still alive, and authorities say Willis left a trail of blood from the road to where he dragged her body into the woods.
According to Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger, Willis and his girlfriend have another young child who was present at the gas station when he called 911.
Mellinger told WCHS that, in his own words, he “beat her until she quit breathing.”
Sheriff’s deputies began searching for Willis’ girlfriend, who has not been publicly identified, and found her in a nearby wooded area the same day, according to reports. Investigators said Willis admitted to beating the woman in his car before dragging her into the woods.
“Once the deputies found the location, they were able to follow the blood trail to the body,” Mellinger told WCHS, adding that when they found Willis’ girlfriend, they discovered she was pregnant.
A criminal complaint obtained by WSAZ stated that the woman was “observed to have numerous serious injuries consistent with a life-altering beating.”
“It is just as important to ensure the baby’s survival as it is for her,” the sheriff said.
Willis’ girlfriend was taken to the nearby CAMC General Hospital and was in “very critical condition” on June 6, according to Mellinger.
Willis was arraigned that evening in Jackson County Magistrate Court on charges of attempted homicide, malicious assault, and strangulation, according to prison records obtained by PEOPLE.
The 21-year-old is currently being held on a $500,000 bond, according to WCHS.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.