Missing woman's husband believes she's dead

photo Tom Harold Wilkes

The husband of a missing woman said in a jailhouse interview today he believes the partial human remains discovered last month belong to his wife, Dana Wilkes.

The woman's body was found Nov. 25 in the 3700 block of Youngstown Road.

Tom Wilkes, 57, who is in jail for violating his probation as a habitual traffic offender, said detectives showed him pictures of his wife's Mickey Mouse and butterfly tattoos on her legs to help confirm the identification.

Wilkes believes one of his friends, who has a violent criminal record, may have had something to do with the disappearance and possibly the death of his wife.

"There had to be some trickery somewhere," said Wilkes. "Maybe he was on drugs."

Chattanooga police have made no arrests in the case and have not identified the body.

Dana Wilkes, 48, was last seen Nov. 9 near her home in the 100 block of Palo Verde Drive. Tom Wilkes said he spoke to her on the phone the same day.

Her 2000 green Jeep Cherokee was found near Wilcox Tunnel on Wilcox Boulevard a day later with blood splattered inside it.

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