The boyfriend of a Marion County woman who was beated and stabbed to death this week has been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's 10 most wanted list.
Michael Joseph Shirley, boyfriend of Brandi Dawn Duba, is wanted on a first-degree murder warrant in connection with Ms. Duba's death.
She was found dead in her Whitwell home early Tuesday morning.
Marion County Detective Chad Johnson said that Mr. Shirley, 29, has been added to the TBI list. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Deputies found Ms. Duba's body on the bedroom floor of her Cheri Circle home after responding to a 911 call after midnight, Detective Johnson said.
Mr. Shirley is white, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 265 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Ms. Duba had been dead about an hour when police arrived. Her 4- and 6-year-old children were asleep in the living room and told investigators they didn't know any details of their mother's death.
Ms. Duba was beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed, police said. Detectives recovered the bat but have not found a knife. Her body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner in Nashville for an autopsy.
"I would call it a very brutal crime, one of the worst I've seen," said Marion County Sheriff Ronnie "Bo" Burnett.
Deputies received a call around midnight about a wrecked and burning vehicle on Ketner Mill Road. They found Ms. Duba's Jeep Grand Cherokee about a mile from the home.
Minutes later, they were called to Cheri Circle near Whitwell, Detective Johnson said.
This is the third homicide this year in Marion County, Sheriff Burnett said.
Jareese Edwards was charged with criminal homicide in the September shooting death of Steven Orr in South Pittsburg.
Matt Baker was arrested in early October in the death of John Thomas in Monteagle.
Anyone with information about Mr. Shirley can call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
ON THE WEB
To see the TBI's 10 most wanted, visit www.tbi.state.tn.us/FUGITIVES/TBI%20Top%20Ten%20Most%20Wanted.htm
Todd South covers courts and the military for the Times Free Press. He has worked at the paper for three years and previously covered crime and safety in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. Todd’s hometown is Dodge City, Kan. He served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq before returning to school for his journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Todd previously worked at the Anniston (Ala.) Star. Contact Todd ...
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