Device left on car leads to bomb-making operation in woman's home, Mississippi cops say

Mark Price, Miami Herald on Aug 6, 2025

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The discovery of a bomb on a vehicle took an even more disturbing turn when deputies discovered a woman was manufacturing explosives in her home, according to investigators in north Mississippi.

Christina Laureen Willis, 27, has been charged with attempted murder and the planting of an explosive device, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 5 news release.

Willis was arrested Aug. 4 after a search of her home in Batesville revealed a second explosive device, along with “bomb-making materials” and “homemade high explosive substances,” the sheriff’s office said.

Firearms and narcotics were also discovered, officials said.

The bomb found at the home was “rendered safe on scene by bomb technicians,” the sheriff’s office said.

The case dates to June 20, when someone reported finding “a suspicious package” on a vehicle in the southwestern part of Lafayette County, officials said.

“Upon examination, bomb technicians confirmed the package contained a live, homemade explosive device, which was rendered safe in a secure area,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives identified Willis as a suspect, leading to a search of her home in Panola County, officials said.

Investigators have not released a motive for why a bomb was left on the vehicle.

Additional charges are expected after the ATF presents the case to a federal grand jury, the sheriff’s office said.

Lafayette County is about an 80-mile drive southeast from Memphis, Tennessee.