A Texas woman has been arrested on a tampering charge after investigators say an accidental voicemail on her phone captured a conversation that exposed an alleged plot to transport and dump the body of a missing flight attendant.
Joni Thomas, 62, was booked on the tampering count in connection with the presumed killing of 47-year-old Rana Nofal Soluri, according to court records and a criminal complaint. Dennis William Day, 66, a longtime friend and roommate of Soluri, remains jailed on a murder charge after investigators say he confessed to strangling her in their Fort Worth home earlier this year. Soluri was reported missing in June but is believed to have been killed in March.
Authorities say the voicemail, allegedly created when Thomas’s phone was butt-dialed, contains a male voice believed to be Day saying, "Hey... help me," "Make sure the lid's on," and "I'm sorry I got you messed up in this," along with sounds investigators described as two people struggling to move a heavy object. The recording was cited in the affidavit as evidence that Thomas assisted Day in transporting a body to a bridge in Bowie, about 70 miles from Fort Worth.
According to the affidavit, Day admitted to police that he strangled Soluri in the kitchen of the house they shared after an argument in which Soluri reportedly threatened to call 911. Surveillance footage obtained during a June 23 search of Day’s residence showed what investigators say appears to be Day dragging a lifeless body into the backyard late on the night of March 21. Day told detectives he placed the body in a black trash bin, loaded it into a vehicle, drove to Bowie and dumped it over a bridge.
Investigators say Day later disposed of Soluri’s phone by throwing it into a river and dumped a firearm in a storm drain beneath I-35 and Pharr Street; the weapon has since been recovered. Despite searches of creeks and bridges in the Bowie area, Soluri’s remains have not been found. Authorities said rain and flooding in the area could have carried remains downstream.
Thomas initially denied lending her truck to Day and later said she had been asleep in the vehicle during the trip and believed they had stopped so Day could urinate. Cellphone location records cited in the affidavit showed both Day and Thomas left their phones behind at Day’s house before the trip, a move police said appeared intended to create a false digital alibi. Police wrote in the complaint that the phone records and the voicemail together showed a "clear effort by both [Day] and [Thomas] to deceive law enforcement."
Day is being held at the Tarrant County Jail on a $200,000 bond. Thomas was arrested on the tampering charge last month and has since posted bond, court records show. Authorities said they are not seeking additional suspects at this time but that the investigation and searches for Soluri’s body remain active.
Soluri worked as a flight attendant for Envoy Air, a regional carrier operating under American Airlines, and had taken a brief leave from flying while recovering from minor surgery. She was due to return to work by the end of March but did not show up; concerned coworkers reported her missing in June after her prolonged and uncharacteristic absence.
Family members have described Soluri as a passionate and outspoken advocate for women’s and animal rights and as deeply engaged in the Arab community. In a public statement, her family said she "fought tirelessly for women… and for animals, who cannot speak for themselves," and asked the public to continue supporting efforts to locate her remains.
Soluri’s sister, identified in media reports as Nez, told NBC 5 that the uncertainty since her sister’s disappearance has been "torture" and that family members cling to any hope as searches continue. Authorities have urged anyone with information about Soluri’s movements in March or about the trip to Bowie to contact investigators.
The case remains under investigation by Fort Worth police and other agencies assisting in the search. Court proceedings for Day and Thomas are ongoing.