Kaleb Matthew Cox
A joint investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and other county and state agencies into the discovery of human remains has resulted in the arrest of two people, Kaleb Matthew Cox, 22, and Johnbeth Charisse Holland, 22.
At the request of 12 District Attorney General J. Michael Taylor, TBI special agents joined the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and Tennessee Department of Agriculture in investigating a vehicle fire on Game Preserve Road in the Prentice Cooper State Forest Thursday morning.
Human remains were discovered inside the burnt vehicle. The identity of the deceased individual has not yet been confirmed, but during the course of the investigation, agents developed information that indicated that Cox, of Hixson, and Ms. Holland, of Huntsville, Tn., had involvement in the incident.
They were arrested on Thursday.
Cox is charged with one count of aggravated arson, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of abuse of a corpse, and one count of vandalism. Ms. Holland is charged with one count of accessory after the fact.
Both were booked into the Marion County Jail, where they are currently being held without bond.
In an affidavit, authorities said Cox had spent the day Wednesday with the person found dead the next day. He said while they were driving around the Suck Creek area that the person overdosed on drugs and died.
Cox said he then called his girlfriend, Ms. Holland, to come and help him. He said he drove the car to the state forest while she followed in another vehicle. He said he lit pieces of paper to burn the inside of the car with the dead individual still inside. The couple then left in the other vehicle.
Johnbeth Holland