By CASSANDRA MICKENS / Associate Editor

HOOVER — A man whose body was found off Elvira Road in Shelby County Nov. 24 has been identified, and two men have been arrested and charged with murder in his shooting death.

Jessy Charles Hoyt, 24, of Calera, and Russell Ray Thomas, 32, of Helena, are each being held on $1 million bond in the Shelby County Jail. The men allegedly shot and killed James Edward Sherwood, 46, of Calera.

Sherwood’s body was discovered shortly before 10 a.m. Nov. 24 by a man walking in an underdeveloped, wooded area off Elvira Road, or Shelby County 269. Hoover Police spokesman Capt. Jim Coker said in a news release Nov. 26 that the homicide occurred at a residence in Calera, which led Hoover and Calera police to launch a joint investigation.

The investigation is ongoing, Coker said.