A 37-year-old Alabama man has been sentenced to life in prison following his guilty plea to the murder a young mother who was found slain and wrapped in a blanket in a wooded area.

Michael Wade Tucker entered his guilty plea Friday morning, according to 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin.

Family members reported Laci Cheyenne Whitson, 21, missing on June 29, 2024.

The investigation showed Tucker had picked up Whitson in Florence during the early morning hours of June 26 and taken her to his home on County Road 52 in northeast Fayette County.

One June 30, 2024, investigators searched Tucker’s home and surrounding property.

They determined Whitson has been shot inside the home.

Her remains were found concealed in a boat on the property, and her clothing and personal belongings were located inside the house.

Tucker was charged, he said, within 24 hours of Whitson’s body being found.

Whitson left behind a young son.

Hamlin thanked the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, the district attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division, and Chief Assistant District Attorney Jack Nolen.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the witnesses who came forward and the law enforcement agencies that worked this case so thoroughly,” Hamlin said. “Because of their efforts, we were able to build a solid case that the defendant had no choice but to plead guilty.”