An arrest was made overnight in the Monday slaying of Tullahoma, Tenn., resident Kayla D. Qualls, whose body was found in the back of her own 2000 Ford Explorer on Spring Creek Road a couple of miles south of her hometown.
Investigators determined the killing happened in Tullahoma at the home of Qualls' former boyfriend, Nick Curtis, and his father, Michael L. Curtis, Franklin County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Chris Guess said.
Michael Curtis, 49, now is charged in Coffee County with first-degree murder. No charges have been filed against Qualls' former boyfriend, Nick Curtis, according to Guess, who is acting as spokesman on the arrest for Franklin County and Coffee County authorities.
Qualls, 23, apparently had gone to the Curtis home at 603 General St. in Tullahoma to pick up her son early Monday when "some sort of domestic issue" arose, according to officials.
After a second search of the Curtis home Wednesday, investigators now say that Michael Curtis killed Qualls at the house on General Street, put her into her own vehicle and ditched both in a grassy area on Spring Creek Road in Franklin County.
A pair of hunters discovered that scene Monday morning.
Franklin County Sheriff Tim Fuller called the slaying a "senseless act."
Michael Curtis is being held in the Coffee County Jail on $1 million bond and faces an appearance in Coffee County General Sessions Court on Dec. 3.
For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.