Body of missing Huntsville man, 18, found days after high-speed chase

Body of missing Huntsville man, 18, found days after high-speed chase

Decatur police said they have found the remains of a man who was killed after a high-speed chase following a robbery.

The Decatur Police Department said it received a call on Saturday afternoon reporting a body in Flint Creek.

Members of the Decatur Police Department, the Morgan County Rescue Squad, as well as Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn responded to the scene. The body was identified as that of Michael Tremaine Forde-Clark, 18, of Huntsville, who had been missing since Monday.

Police said the man was the passenger in a vehicle that went into the creek after a high-speed chase after an armed robbery Monday.

Investigators on Tuesday charged the driver, 21-year-old Ismael Tariq Smith of Huntsville with capital murder.

Police said someone called 911 to report a robbery at Mexican restaurant Casa Santiago just before 1 p.m. Monday.

Court documents say a man told police he went to the restaurant to trade an AK-47 for a Playstation 5, as arranged via Facebook Marketplace. That exchange led to a reported robbery and high-speed chase.

Police said during the pursuit, the driver reached speeds over 100 mph before crossing the median on U.S. 31 and crashing into Flint Creek near Bowles Bridge Road.

One of the vehicle’s occupants swam across the creek to shore and was detained there.

A second person was last seen struggling to stay afloat downstream and went under before those on the scene could render aid.

The body was removed from the scene and transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science in Huntsville for autopsy.