On Monday, Tennessee police arrested a woman for stuffing a man’s body in a barrel and leaving it in a motel room.
WTVC reported that an anonymous tip led Chattanooga police to Jose Lopez’s body at a Motel 6. Following an investigation, Jamie May Smith, 44, allegedly admitted to putting Lopez, 30, in a barrel and covering it with a blanket.
Cops reportedly discovered methamphetamine in the room next door to where Lopez’s body was located. According to WTVC, Smith said she used methamphetamine, and a search warrant revealed she had rented a room at the motel.
A police officer was at the motel to retrieve surveillance footage at the same time Smith went to the front desk, leading to her apprehension. WTVC reported that the footage showed someone, resembling Smith, leaving the room Lopez was found dead in.
Smith allegedly told police that four days earlier, she came into her room and Lopez was laying on a bed and appeared to be breathing. She claimed she came back later and Lopez was unresponsive, WTVC reported.
“[Smith] stated that she freaked out, so she went to the baseball fields down the road and grabbed a barrel,” the affidavit read. “She stated she just wanted the body out of her room, she did not want to call police, and that she did not want to go to jail.”
Holland is charged with abuse of a corpse and possession of methamphetamine.
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[Featured image: Jamie May Smith/Hamilton County jail]
