Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Jamie SmithA Chattanooga woman has been charged with abusing a corpse after she reportedly told police she wanted to remove the body of a man she found unresponsive at a Lee Highway motel Saturday.
Jamie May Smith, 44, was also charged with methamphetamine possession after police found about half an ounce of meth in her room, according to court filings.
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According to an affidavit in the case, Smith, who also goes by Jamie Holland, was staying at a Motel 6 on Lee Highway.
Chattanooga police received an anonymous tip that there was a dead body in a room on the motel's second floor. An investigator found the body inside a barrel with a blanket on top, according to the affidavit.
Police identified the body as Jose Heredia Lopez, 30, court documents state.
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Security footage shown to police reportedly showed Smith leaving the room where the body was found.
Later, during an interview with police, Smith said she and Lopez had frequently done drugs together in her room, next to the one where his body was found.
She told investigators that about four days before his body was discovered, she had found him unresponsive in the room.
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Court documents state Smith said she "freaked out" and went to nearby baseball fields to get a barrel. Back at the motel, she said, she placed Lopez's body in the barrel and covered it with a blanket.
Smith reportedly told investigators she just wanted his body out of her room but did not want to call police or go to jail.
She is being held on $10,000 bond and is set to appear in court on June 15 in front of Judge Christie Sell, court records show.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.