Body of missing TV show contestant is discovered in a shallow grave at an L.A. area home

The corpse of a nurse and former reality show contestant was found Tuesday in a shallow grave at a Los Angeles County home, and police arrested a man on suspicion of her murder, authorities said.

Lisa Marie Naegle, who appeared on the E! reality show “Bridalplasty,� went missing after attending a birthday party Saturday night. She called her husband early Sunday and said she would be grabbing food on her way home. She never arrived.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles police detained Jackie Jerome Rogers for questioning and later placed him under arrest, according to LAPD spokesman Officer Tony Im. Rogers, 34, was a nursing student of Naegle’s and the information he gave to investigators led them to believe she was murdered, Im said.

He was held in lieu of $2 million bail; it was unclear whether he had an attorney.

LAPD officers, detectives and coroner officials seal off the 5000 block of 106th St. in Lennox after a body was found in a shallow grave.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times )

The corpse was found at the Lennox home owned by Rogers’ family, Im said. The L.A. County coroner’s office will make the final determination on how she died, he said.

The coroner’s office was first notified about 11 a.m. about the possibility of a buried body near the home in the 5000 block of West 106th Street, coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter said. Coroner’s investigators were called out around 2:30 p.m.

The discovery of Naegle’s body draws to a close a dramatic search effort led by her husband and family members, but much of the circumstances around her death are shrouded in mystery.

Naegle, 36, went to a birthday party at Alpine Village restaurant Saturday night, her husband told KTLA. About 2:30 a.m., Naegle called her husband, Derek Harryman, saying she was going to grab a bite to eat on her way home. He said his wife sounded drunk.

But the San Pedro resident never arrived home, her husband told the television station. Naegle, a registered nurse, also didn’t show up to the nursing class she was teaching.

Neighbors watch as the LAPD investigates a body found in a shallow grave in Lennox.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times )

Harryman told the Daily Breeze that he tried to hack into his wife’s electronic devices so he could access her Find my iPhone app and locate her. Calls made to her cellphone went to voicemail, he said.

“This is extremely rare and unlike her,� Harryman said on Facebook.

She was reported missing Monday after her family spoke with Rogers.

A photograph taken from surveillance cameras at Alpine Village shows Naegle at the restaurant at 2:15 a.m., according to the Facebook account Finding Lisa Marie Naegle.

The footage shows Naegle entering a black SUV, her husband said.

In the 2010 reality show, Naegle competed with other brides for a dream wedding and a plastic surgery procedure. Naegle was eliminated in Episode 7.

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UPDATES:

8:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the discovery of the body.

7 p.m.: This article was updated with information from LAPD spokesman Officer Tony Im and confirmation that the body was found in the South Bay.

4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with information from LAPD spokeswoman Liliana Preciado.

1:20 p.m.: This article was updated with information about a person detained for questioning.

11:15 a.m.: This article was updated with police comments about their investigation into the disappearance

This article was originally published at 7:24 a.m.