Social Media Influencer’s Death Ruled Homicide By Strangulation, Officials Say

An autopsy has determined Alexis Robinault Sharkey, whose nude body was discovered in some bushes on the side of a Texas road in November, died by strangulation.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Science also ruled the Houston-based social media influencer’s manner of death as homicide.

Sharkey, 26, reportedly spent Thanksgiving with close friends, but the last time any of them heard from her was the next evening, November 26.

One woman from the group, Chealsea Turnbow, 33, claimed her boyfriend then received a call on November 27 from Sharkey’s 49-year-old husband, Tom.

“He just said, you know, ‘Lex, she left the house. We got into an argument. I don’t know what’s going on. Can you have the girls reach out to me?’” Turnbow told Houston’s KPRC-TV.

That same night, Stacey Robinault learned her daughter’s friends and husband had reported the influencer missing.

“One friend said, ‘I ran over to her apartment and she’s not there, and we were supposed to meet up,’” Robinault recalled in an interview with KPRC-TV. “When you start to hear these stories and you just know that’s not right, something’s wrong — she’s never that far away from her device; [she’s] standing up her friends; [her] husband doesn’t know where she is, all of that. All of that strikes fear.”

According to Houston’s KTRK-TV, Tom Sharkey went on Facebook after the disappearance and posted about his wife. “My world! My everything! I'm so lost right now! My one and only!” he allegedly wrote.

Despite the loving sentiments, Kendra Martin, 33, told the Daily Beast that she sensed something had been wrong in the relationship because her friend’s “demeanor had changed.”

“I know [Alexis and her husband] were going through some things," Martin said of possible marital issues between the couple — allegations Tom Sharkey has denied. “She had mentioned being separated even though they were still living in the same apartment.”

On November 28, the Houston Police Department confirmed the news that a public works employee had discovered the missing woman’s body the day before near a road minutes from her home.

The Houston Police Department has made no arrests or charges in the case, which is still under investigation.

Sharkey, who had tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, was known for her posts about health-based haircare and skincare.

“She was a bright light, she had this warmth about her that was indescribable, everyone she met was drawn to her loving nature,” Martin said of her friend.

She then promised: “We will get justice for this horrible crime.”