A suspect has been charged with murder in the 2017 death of 18-year-old Kelsey Burnette in McMinn County.
A joint investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Etowah Police Department and the 10th District Attorney General's Office resulted in the arrest of an Etowah teen, who is suspected of killing Burnette.
The suspect was a juvenile at the time of the offense and is not being identified at this time. He surrendered to law enforcement Thursday and was charged with one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated rape.
On July 1, 2017, TBI agents assisted investigators with the Etowah Police Department in a missing person investigation to determine the circumstances involved in the disappearance of Burnette. At the request of 10th District Attorney General Stephen Crump, TBI agents joined the Etowah Police Department on July 4, 2017, in opening a death investigation after someone discovered the body of a white female, later identified as that of Burnette, off the side of a road on Charles Street in Etowah.
Through the course of the investigation, agents developed information identifying the individual responsible for her death.
The suspect was booked into the McMinn County Jail where he is being held on an open court bond.