From The Tribune staff reports
JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 39-year-old woman has been charged with the murder of a missing California man buried in Jefferson County.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Zachery Steed Coats, 31, of Wildomar, California, was discovered in what appeared to be a freshly dug grave on the property on Friday, October 21, at approximately 10:45 a.m.
“This death is now being investigated as a homicide,” Lieutenant Joni Money stated.
Christal Elaine Skelton has been charged with abuse of a corpse and is being held in the Jefferson County jail on a $300,000.00 bond.
This investigation is still active, and more arrests and charges are possible.
Related Story: Human remains found in ‘freshly dug grave’ in Jefferson County
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to the 3000 block of Raceway Parkway in Mount Olive to perform a welfare check on a male whose family had not heard from him in several months.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Detectives are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
Authorities ask if you have any further information, contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 205-325-1450, option 2, or you may call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
The story will be updated when more information is available.