Henderson police ID body found on side of highway
CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — A call from a passing motorist leads to a shocking discovery for early morning travelers Thursday along Highway 45 in Henderson.
“A citizen driving down 45 South saw him laying off on the side of the road, about 15 yards off the side of the highway,” Henderson Police Chief Wilton Cleveland said.
Police say they got the call at 6:20 Thursday morning of a body laying on the side of the road near the Americana Inn.
Police identified him as Chris Jones, 49, of Henderson.
Chief Cleveland says how the man died is still a mystery.
“There were no obvious signs of injury such as gunshot wounds, stab wounds or anything like that. He was not hit by a vehicle. That was very apparent,” Chief Cleveland said.
Police searched both sides of the highway for clues.
“He was missing a few items, so we looked around and found some of those items,” Chief Cleveland said.
One of the missing items was a shoe belonging to the victim. Police say the victim was holding one of the shoes, the other was found on the other side of the highway in the woods.
“We think he may have been running from something,” Chief Cleveland said.
“We did get a burglar alarm call at this location at the church, and since it was in close proximity, we came in and we did locate an attempted break-in,” Chief Cleveland said.
Investigators took DNA from Sandfill Baptist Church to see if it matches the victim’s.
“We are unsure if it’s related to Mr. Jones’ demise,” Chief Cleveland said.
Luella Tomlin was at the Americana Inn when she saw the commotion. “Wow. You just don’t see that in Henderson,” Tomlin said. “I was walking my dog out there in the grass area, and I saw two vehicles at first and thought it was an accident.”
Chief Cleveland says Jones was well known in the community.
“He’s well known to officers in the community, and one officer said he went to high school with him. He’s well known within the community,” Chief Cleveland said.
The body will be sent to Nashville for an autopsy.
