A man who killed his Lorton landlady and dumped her body in a wooded area has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Brian George Sayrs Jr., 28, killed Emily Lu, 72, in June 2021.
Lu had last been seen at a Woodbridge Aldi on June 3, 2021. Police found her car with the groceries inside at her home on Davis Lane, after her boss asked police to check on her on June 4 because she had not shown up for work.
Fairfax County police would find evidence Lu may have been harmed inside her home, and from the start treated her disappearance as suspicious.
Sayrs, who rented a room from Lu, would deny he was involved in her disappearance.
Police would search for 49 days before Sayrs called them and confessed. He would then lead them to her body in a wooded area near Dudley Drive and Laurel Crest Drive, about 2 miles from her home.
Sayrs pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and concealing a body on August 21, 2023.
A judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison for her murder, but suspended 17 years. He received two years for concealing her body.
“While we may never know all the details of this tragic incident, we do know that today, the person responsible for Ms. Lu’s murder will finally be held accountable for his actions,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said. “My heart breaks for Ms. Lu’s family, and for the members of our community who tirelessly searched for Ms. Lu for nearly two months.”
Feature image of Emily Lu courtesy Fairfax County Police Department/X
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