Ex-wife of man charged in murder of Holly Springs mom also arrested in the case

Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Ex-wife of man charged in murder of Holly Springs mom also arrested in the case
Ex-wife of man charged in murder of Holly Springs mom also arrested in the case

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WTVD) -- The ex-wife of a man charged in the murder of a Holly Springs mother has also been arrested in the case.

Jarlyn Lisbeth Sluss is charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after-the-fact in connection with the murder of Monica Moynan.

She was arrested at her home in Garner on Tuesday.

"We are so glad to see this second arrest in the pursuit of '#justiceforMoni,'" Moynan's mother, Melanie Tucker, told ABC11 on Tuesday. "Jarlyn Sluss had several months to contact us or the HSPD with any information that could have alerted us sooner that something had happened to Monica. Brian called her in a panic on 4/7/2019 according to warrants. They maintained regular contact after this which was not typical. She knew something, but instead of coming forward, she chose to help him which included impersonating Monica as also stated in warrants. And this is just what we know. Ten months later, she has continued to withhold. Justice will now be served."

Moynan's ex-boyfriend Brian Sluss, who was previously married to Jarlyn, was arrested and charged with murder last week.

"We're definitely feeling relieved that that day has finally come," Tucker told ABC11 after Brian Sluss' arrest.

"Just a huge relief to know that he was finally going to be behind bars," Brandon Tucker, Moynan's stepdad, said. "She would light up a room, had a great energy, great vibe, great sense of humor."

They remember her as a great mother, friend and family member. They said she had just signed up for classes to become a doula. But she never made it to those classes.

Last October, police announced that they were investigating her disappearance as a murder.

Moynan's remains have not been found.

Warrants released last year showed that investigators found a positive pregnancy test and interviewed a friend of Moynan who confirmed that Moynan believed she was pregnant. Investigators also learned that she made, but failed to keep, an appointment at a women's health clinic in April.

"We believe that Monica being pregnant may have been a factor in the incidents that led up to Monica's death," the warrants read.

Holly Springs police officers have been investigating 23-year-old Moynan's disappearance since late July of 2019 when her apartment manager and mother reported that they hadn't seen her in a while and were concerned for her safety.

Other search warrants showed that Brian Sluss had been driving around in her car and pretending to be Moynan in text messages to her family.

He told police he was using the car to transport their children since it was the one that had the car seats. He also said he wrote to Moynan's family using her phone because he did not know how to tell them she was missing.

Sluss had a history of assault cases against him. Moynan had also taken out a Domestic Violence Protection Order against him.