'Hardworking' Graduate, 27, Who Was Remembered as a 'Success Story' for Overcoming Homelessness, Allegedly Murdered By Christine Pelisek

A recent college graduate is dead, and an Ohio man has been charged for his alleged involvement in the murder.

Martel Huggins, 33, was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 25, in connection with the death of 27-year-old Malicai Calder, WTVG reported, citing the Toledo Police Department (TPD).

According to the outlet, Huggins is charged with murder and felonious assault. A motive tied to the death is unknown.

Calder was first reported missing on Saturday, Nov. 22, police said, per WTOL 11.

According to charging records, authorities said they stopped Huggins in Calder’s vehicle and allegedly found some of the University of Toledo graduate’s body parts inside, WTVG reported.

“There were gunshot and stab wounds to the victim’s head,” court records state, according to the Toledo Blade.

Calder was also dismembered, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office said in a statement, per WTVG.

Malicai D. Calder, the local coroner, told PEOPLE: “At present, the cause/time/date of death are still under investigation. Sufficient findings have been gathered to rule the manner of death as a homicide.”

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Pastor Heather Boone, who met Calder when he was 19 and living at a homeless shelter, remembered the 27-year-old as “sweet” and “hardworking.”

“He was just so eager to help,” Boone told WTOL 11 of Calder. “He didn’t deserve this, and he was just an amazing young man, and this is heartbreaking and devastating.”

Boone added that Calder recently graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Toledo.

“It’s just sad, because he’s our success story. And when we have young people coming into the shelter, even now, we always tell the story of Malicai,” she said, per WTOL TV.

In a statement to the outlet, Calder’s cousin, Carolina Thomas, said he “was so bright, such a loved person who would truly do anything and give his last to help others.”

Huggins is being held on a $1 million bond, the Blade reported. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 1, according to WTVG.

The TPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Thursday, Nov. 27.