Tennessee – A Tennessee man and his mom’s spouse are now charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of 47-year-old SiIvia, Tennessee authorities said. The charges followed a multi-day investigation after multiple people reported her missing to the Sheriff’s Office earlier this year and eventually led to a search of the family’s property where investigators uncovered evidence pointing to a vioIent homicide and attempts to conceal the body.
Deputies initially responded to reports that the woman had not been seen for days, and both defendants, 18-year-old G. ViIchez and 64-year-old D. Gardner (SEE PHOTO), told officers she had left the country and returned to Costa Rica. A trace of her mobiIe device placed the device at their residence in Tennessee, and that inconsistency sparked further concern from investigators.
Two days later, law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant at the home. Inside, they found what detectives described as a crime scene in the home office, where red-brown stains believed to be bIood covered walls, furniture and other surfaces. The sheriff’s office said blood was found on desks, printers, baseboards and all four walls of the room. Outside the home, in a wooded area behind the property, officers located charred human remains in a fire pit and scattered in the surrounding brush. Forensic experts later confirmed the burned remains belonged to the victim
During the ensuing investigation, detectives interviewed the younger man. According to authorities, he confessed to repeatedly striking his mom with a basebaII ba t inside the home office, telling police that he had beaten her to death while her spouse watched. He later stated that his stepfther also struck the victim with the batt. After the assault, officers said he and his mom’s spouse wrapped the woman’s body in carpet, carried it outside and burned it in the backyard fire pit, feeding the flames with wood throughout the night. He told police they remained outside throughout the night, repeatedly adding wood to the fire to keep it burning.
When law enforcement questioned the older man, he denied involvement in the kiIIing. During a preliminary hearing, he claimed he had been asleep when the fatal aassaIt occurred and that he did not know about the violence until later. He described discovering a mess in the home office the next morning and suggested that red cleaner was used to hide a spill, although Tennessee authorities interpreted the stains as blood evidence.
Investigators pieced together the timeline starting with the woman’s disappearance report and the conflicting initial statements from both defendants. The false claim that she had gone to Costa Rica raised suspicion when phone data placed her at the residence the entire time. Responding deputies and forensic teams secured the interior crime scene and then uncovered the burned remains in the fire pit area. Searches of the property and collection of physical evidence helped Tennessee authorities understand that the victim had suffered a violent assault in her home.
Friends and family members who spoke with reporters described the victim as a devoted mother who had brought her son to the United States from their home country years earlier, hoping to give him more opportunities. Neighbors and members of her church community said they were shocked by the development, recalling her as a kind, generous person with no outward signs of trouble in her family before her disappearance.
A judge set the older man’s bond at $250,000, while the victim’s son remains in custody without bail. Tennessee authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the kiIIing, but the physical evidence, the son’s admissions and the conflicting statements from the stepfather are central to the prosecution’s case.