Murder charges after body found in Olive Branch 

Olive Branch police Thursday announced the arrest of a Saulsberry, Tennessee woman in connection with the murder of a man, a case that involved the discovery of human remains at an area of Olive Branch in early September.  

According to police, officers discovered, during a search for a missing person, what appeared to be human remains in an area on Bethel Road on Friday, Sept. 8. 

Police said they worked with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Crime Lab, the DeSoto County Coroner’s Office, and later the Hardeman County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, to determine the victim’s identity and how the person died. The victim was identified as John Barber, age 50.  

The investigation led to the identification of a suspect, who was taken into custody with assistance from the Henry County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office.  

The woman arrested was identified as Amanda Bailey Barber, age 34, of Saulsberry, Tennessee. Barber has been charged in Hardeman County with murder for the crime that took place there. Police did not say in their information how John Barber died.

In Olive Branch, Barber has been charged with desecration of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.  

Police say additional charges may be coming in the case and it remains an ongoing investigation.  Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Olive Branch Police Department at 662-892-9400 or the Hardeman County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office at 731-609-2401.