Jim Chambers, right, was arrested in the death of Edward Elliott, left. (Victim’s photo from Carter County Sheriff — Tennessee; Mug shot from Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)
One of Tennessee’s most wanted fugitives has been arrested in the death of a man missing for months whose remains were found in a freezer buried on a 17-acre lot in a remote area of the state.
Jim Chambers, 37, was arrested in Louisiana over the death of Edward Elliott, 64, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced in a news release. He was wanted by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and TBI for first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.
The case came to light after police launched a missing persons probe on March 31. A missing persons poster said Elliott was last seen in the Roan Mountain area in late January or early February, and a family member reported the 5-foot-10, 250-pound man missing then.
The victim had been last seen wearing bluejeans and a T-shirt with cut-off sleeves. He had suffered from a medical condition that authorities said could impair his ability to return safely without assistance.
Authorities said they were acting on a tip on May 15 while searching a property at 125 Mike Clawson Road in Hampton when a cadaver dog picked up the scent of a decaying body. In the ground was a freezer with Elliott’s remains inside.
“A box was exhumed, and a human body was found in that small freezer,” said Carter County Sheriff Mike Fraley in a news conference then.
Citing an affidavit, local CBS/ABC affiliate WJHL reported a witness seeing two men “violently kicking” Elliott as the victim pleaded with them in January or February.
The first suspect was identified and arrested shortly after Elliott’s body was discovered.
Chambers was put onto Tennessee’s most wanted fugitive list and was found in Louisiana this week with the help of the FBI New Orleans Office, the Louisiana State Police, and the Jefferson Parrish Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
The defendant me was expected to be extradited from Louisiana to Carter County while the second man faces a preliminary hearing on June 5.
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