New Details in Missing Woman's Death, Police Believe There May Be More Victims

An arrest warrant is offering new details in the murder of an Arlington mother of two, reported missing on Feb. 16.

Police found Marissa Grimes’ body under a house along the 5800 block of Locke Avenue in West Fort Worth last week, weeks after she vanished.

The man accused of her death is in jail as police search for more possible victims.

DOCUMENTS DETAIL GRUESOME DISCOVERY

Valerian Osteen, 24, is accused of murdering Grimes after assaulting her and holding her captive on two separate occasions, according to a warrant for his arrest.

The document details how police found Grimes’ body in a crawl space underneath Osteen’s house, weeks after her family reported her missing.

Fort Worth police arrested Osteen on Jan. 9 in a domestic violence incident where he’s accused of assaulting, threatening and holding Grimes against her will for several days.

In that incident, police responded to the house and found Grimes alive.

Osteen was released from jail on Jan. 12 after posting a $10,000 bond for aggravated assault and $5,000 for unlawful restraint, according to the district attorney's office. The warrant for arrest document, however, states Osteen posted a $5,000 bond.

Osteen was released with a GPS ankle monitor and ordered to stay away from Grimes.

He reportedly learned Grimes had planned to leave the area, according to the police document.

MARISSA GRIMES REPORTED MISSING

Grimes’ family reported her missing on Feb. 16, telling police they had not seen her since Feb. 12.

An unidentified witness later told police that he saw Osteen and Grimes together on Feb. 13. The witness said she appeared to be crying and that an armed Osteen had been verbally abusive toward her, ‘upset about his last arrest and blamed her,’ according to the warrant.

The witness told police Osteen asked him to leave.

Another woman later told police she had been held against her will by Osteen at his house on Feb. 17.

The woman told police she saw blood in his house which Osteen claimed ‘belonged to a male who he tortured for fun. Osteen also claimed to be a member of the Russian mafia and would have a shootout with police,’ according to the document.

A U-Haul truck rented by Grimes was then found near the man’s house on Feb. 21.

Fort Worth SWAT members executed a search warrant of Osteen’s house on Feb. 22 where they discovered a mound of dirt and a strong smell of decomposition in a crawlspace under the living room.

One day later, a second search warrant led police to a body ‘wrapped in a blanket and a grey tarp.’

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Grimes died of blunt force trauma to her head.

DANGER ASSESSMENT

The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office issued a press release appearing to be critical of the bond system that allowed Osteen out of jail after the January incident despite his criminal history and potential threat to the alleged victim.

‘Because Grimes was the victim of a family violence-related offense, her “Danger Assessment,” a checklist provided in nearly all Tarrant County police family violence reports, was available to Magistrate Mark Thielman when setting the bond. Her danger assessment indicated that she was in the “Extreme Danger” category.

Osteen previously faced an assault/impeding breath charge in August 2021 in a case involving a girlfriend at the time. The case received a ‘no bill’ by a Tarrant County grand jury, meaning the case would not continue to trial.

MORE VICTIMS?

Osteen, who now faces a capital murder charge, is in the Tarrant County Jail on a $500,000 bond as investigators search for additional potential victims.

“Anyone who dealt with him in the past, now they can see for who he is. And sometimes, if there are other victims, this is the time for them to come forward and to help us investigate a lot of these cases that may be still unheard of,” said Fort Worth Police Department spokesman Officer Daniel Segura.

Anyone with information on this case or about Osteen is urged to call Detective J. Cedillo at 817-392-4337.

FAMILY STATEMENT

Attorney Christy Jack is serving as a spokesperson for the family of Marissa Grimes and released the following statement on the family's behalf:

"Every parent wants to believe they can protect their child. This is especially true when it comes to a father and a daughter. Despite Daryl Grimes['s] best efforts, he couldn't save Marissa and neither did the criminal justice system. She was a victim of abuse at the hands of Valerian 'Will' Osteen - a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history. Osteen held Marissa against her will and prevented her escape in January. A number of mistakes were made after that point.

"We cannot undo what happened to Marissa, but from this moment forward, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office has the opportunity to do the right thing. The Grimes family's prayer is for this defendant to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that he receive the maximum punishment allowed under the law."