Alexis Leigh Sharkey (née Robinault) was an American 26-year-old social media influencer who was last seen alive around 6 p.m. on November 27, 2020. The next day, her naked body was found near her home; she had been strangled. On October 5, 2021, her 49-year-old husband, Thomas Sharkey, killed himself as he was about to be arrested.
Background
Alexis Sharkey was born Alexis Leigh Robinault in Warren,
Pennsylvania. She grew up in Youngsville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from
Youngsville High School in 2012. In 2016 she graduated from the University of
Pittsburgh at Bradford with a major in biology and minors in nutrition and
psychology.
Sharkey worked for the multi-level marketing company Monat,
which sells haircare, skincare, and wellness products. She made regular posts to
her Instagram and TikTok accounts. Her mother described her as
health-conscious, saying her daughter loved selling organic healthcare products.
Alexis Robinault and Tom Sharkey had married on December 20, 2019.
In October 2020, Sharkey visited Marfa, Texas, with several
friends, who later claimed that she was clearly afraid of someone and worried
for her safety. She shared her last Instagram post on November 22, 2020,
documenting her travels to Tulum, Mexico. On November 25 she spoke with her
mother. On the morning of November 26 (Thanksgiving), the couple shared a meal.
Disappearance and
discovery
Sharkey was last seen alive on the evening of November 27.
Tom stated, "She understood me. I
understood her. We didn't fight when she left. I just told her she couldn't
drive under the influence; she left anyhow. This is where we're at."
Sharkey, who friends later said was usually inseparable from her phone, stopped
responding to messages and calls.
On November 28, Tom told family members that she was missing.
He thanked Instagram followers for their help in the investigation while
condemning others who said negative things about Sharkey's disappearance. Over
the following days, he said that he was receiving death threats and other hateful
messages.
Sharkey's nude body was discovered around 8 a.m. on November
28, in bushes on the 1000 block of Red Haw Lane in the Houston Energy Corridor in
Harris County. Her body was believed to have been left overnight and police saw
no evidence that she walked down the road, or that there had been any attempt
to conceal her body. The next morning, Tom identified her body at the Harris
County Medical Examiner's Office.
In an interview with ABC 13 Eyewitness News Houston, Tom
said that his wife was not as happy as she presented herself on social media,
and that he had been struggling emotionally since her disappearance, but that
their marriage was happy. He said that he had been cooperating with detectives,
but he ended the conversation by saying, "I'm
sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not a jerk, I'm just destroyed."
Police investigation
About two weeks after the murder, Tom left Texas. When he
failed to make funeral arrangements for Alexis, the medical examiner changed her
next of kin to her mother. A private funeral was held on December 19; the
service was kept secret from Tom. On January 19, 2021, the Harris County
Institute of Forensic Science medical examiner's report determined that
Sharkey's death was a homicide and she had been strangled.
After many attempts by police to contact him, Tom agreed to
meet detectives in early August 2021 to submit a DNA sample but failed to do
so. On September 29, police obtained a warrant for his arrest, later stating
that he was the only person who had the means, motive, and opportunity to kill Alexis.
On October 5, officials learned Tom was staying with his
daughter and her partner in Fort Myers, Florida. On October 6, at about 1 a.m.,
Tom learned of the impending arrest; he ran upstairs and killed himself by
shooting himself in the head.
Authorities later said that Tom had been untruthful and evasive
with investigators and that there was a history of domestic violence between
him and Alexis.
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