State authorities have made an arrest in connection with a fire and death inside a McMinn County church.
Kyle Hickox, 36, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of second-degree murder stemming from a homicide and fire at St. Mark AME Zion Church in Athens earlier this month, according to a news release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities found the body of Linda Buchanan, 69, during the initial investigation into the fire Aug. 15 at the church on North Jackson Street. An autopsy revealed that Buchanan died before the fire began, according to the news release.
The building, which has been around since the 1800s, was left gutted by the fire.
Tri-State Mutual Aid Association / A fire burned Saint Mark AME Zion Church in Athens, Tenn., on Thursday evening.(READ MORE: Victim in Athens, Tenn., church fire identified)
“It’s been a very tragic thing for the family, in particular, and for the congregation and the city,” Athens Mayor Steve Sherlin said in a phone interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press earlier this week. “The city and the community and the families are all coming together. We’re all working together to, hopefully, rebuild the church.”
Hickox was booked into the McMinn County Jail on a $600,000 bond. Additional charges may come as this is an ongoing investigation, according to TBI.
(READ MORE: Death reported in Athens, Tenn., church fire)
— Compiled by Cameron McKeon