SEQUATCHIE COUNTY, Tenn. — The husband and son of a woman found dead under shocking circumstances in Lewis Chapel made their first appearance in court Tuesday afternoon.
64-year-old David Gardiner and 18-year-old Gabriel Vilchez were arraigned on charges of criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of Silvia Vilchez.
The victim was reported missing on Oct.28, and deputies say the search warrant executed at the Snyder Loop property on Oct.30 uncovered what appeared to be a violent murder scene.
On Monday, we shared disturbing details in the arrest report for both men. Those reports say that Gabriel Vilchez told deputies he beat his mother with a baseball bat while his stepfather watched, then dragged her body to a fire pit and burned the remains in the woods near the home.
Community members in Lewis Chapel say they are stunned by the allegations, noting that the two men appeared to be part of a stable household…