Louisa woman faces up to 25 years in hidden body case

LOUISA — Ulisa Mary Chavers pleaded guilty this morning to discarding her boyfriend’s body in a well on his property in Louisa County.

She also pleaded guilty to credit card fraud, identity theft and possession of a sawed-off rifle.

The body of Reginal Cody Bowles, wrapped in sleeping bags, was found in March in some water at the bottom of the unused well. Bowles disappeared in early 2007.

Chavers, linked to two other cases in which bodies were discovered, faces up to 25 years in prison when she is sentenced Jan. 25.

She gave brief answers to questions from the judge and made no extensive comments in court.

Chavers is not charged with causing any deaths, but Louisa County Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Garrett said that investigations of Shavers are continuing in multiple jurisdictions.

Bowles’ two sons and their mother, his ex-wife, attended the court hearing but declined to comment afterward.

The state medical examiner’s office still is trying to determine Bowles’ cause of death. Chavers denies killing him, and she is not charged with his death.

She also admits she buried the body of her second husband in Amelia County in 1994 and later beheaded his corpse, according to authorities and her lawyer, Mike Caudill. She is not charged with any crimes in the Amelia case.

In July 2004, Chavers reported finding Eleanor Bowles’ body in the trailer beside the house where Chavers was living with Cody Bowles, who still was alive. She was believed to have died from natural causes.