Skip to main content
Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

This story is free to read.

Tullahoma, Tennessee, woman charged after newborn’s remains found in storage unit rented 27 years ago

Contributed photo by Coffee County Sheriff's Office / Melissa Sims McCann, 62, of Tullahoma, Tenn.
Contributed photo by Coffee County Sheriff's Office / Melissa Sims McCann, 62, of Tullahoma, Tenn. Contributed photo by Coffee County Sheriff's Office / Melissa Sims McCann, 62, of Tullahoma, Tenn.

A Tullahoma, Tennessee, woman with a 27-year-old secret has been booked on charges in connection with a newborn’s remains found in a storage unit she rented in 1994.

According to allegations contained in a sealed indictment, 62-year-old Tullahoma resident Melissa Sims McCann rented a storage unit at Watts-N-Storage on Old Estill Springs Road to keep her secret for almost three decades. McCann is charged with abuse of a corpse in the first count and in the second count that she disposed of a corpse in violation of the law, according to the indictment issued Friday by a Coffee County grand jury.

Each of the counts are class E felonies, which carry a potential sentence of one to six years, depending on criminal history, according to state law. A fine up to $3,000 can be ordered.

(READ MORE: Skeleton found in Calhoun, Ga., storage unit)

The charges stem from a Nov. 13 call to Tullahoma police regarding unidentified remains found in a storage unit that had contents that were recently auctioned, 14th Judicial District Attorney General Craig Northcott said in a news release issued Friday.