Cowan, Tenn., slaying suspects added to TBI Most Wanted

photo Suspects at large: Coty Keith Holmes and David Gordon Jenkins.

HOW TO HELPAnyone with information on the whereabouts of David Gordon Jenkins, 46, of Manchester, Tenn., or Coty Keith Holmes, 25, of Hillsboro, Tenn., can call the Franklin County Sheriff's Office at 931-962-0123 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Two of four men charged in a March 24 killing in Cowan, Tenn., are now listed among the TBI's Top 10 Most Wanted and are the subject of a $1,000 reward for information.

David Gordon Jenkins, 46, of Manchester, Tenn., and 25-year-old Coty Keith Holmes, of Hillsboro, Tenn., are wanted by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for one count of first-degree murder and one count of felony murder in the death of 26-year-old Cowan resident Corey Nathaniel Matthews, a news release states.

Two other men, Todd Eugene Dalton, 39, and 26-year-old John Corey Lanier, both of Manchester, were taken into custody earlier this week on the same charges and are held at the Franklin County jail without bond.

Franklin County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Chris Guess said Wednesday that there have been no leads on the two at-large suspects.

Guess said investigators have not pinned down when or where either man last was seen, and they're not sure what kind of vehicles they might be using.

Guess said he didn't believe the two suspects would be traveling together.

All four men were indicted Monday in the beating death of Matthews, whose body was found in a cornfield across from the Jackson Cemetery on Slag Town Road after his family reported him missing.

The victim was found lying on his back in clothes wet from a recent rainstorm. He had blunt trauma to his head and face, TBI and Franklin County officials said.

Officials say Matthews was targeted because of his affiliation with the Aryan Nations white supremacist group, and the four Coffee County subjects are affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Nations.

Jenkins is a white man with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs about 185 pounds and has a number of tattoos on his arms, left shoulder, chest, back and thighs, as well as numerous scars.

Jenkins' criminal history dates back to 1985 and includes assault, drug trafficking, resisting arrest, possession of stolen property, robbery, escape, writing bad checks, DUI and traffic violations, authorities said.

Holmes is a white man with brown hair and blue eyes. He is 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighs about 180 pounds and has tattoos on both arms and a scar on his left forearm. His criminal history includes possession of marijuana, records show.

Both Jenkins and Holmes are considered armed and dangerous and should be approached with extreme caution, authorities said.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.

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