Husband found dead in ‘charred’ vehicle in TN ravine, cops say. Wife accused of murder
A man was found dead inside a burning vehicle in a ravine in 2023, Tennessee authorities said. Now, his wife and a 28-year-old man have been charged with first-degree murder.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the indictment on Feb. 9, a year to the day after the agency began investigating the incident.
The South Pittsburg Police Department responded to a call of a burning vehicle in Marion County on Feb. 9, 2023, officials said in a news release.
Officers found a “charred” vehicle off a steep ravine, and inside found the body of 48-year-old Keith Whitmore.
Whitmore lived in Lewisburg, according to his obituary, about 70 miles from where he was found dead.
Authorities began investigating the case as a homicide. They identified his wife, 41-year-old Jeneal Whitmore, as a person of interest. They also believed 28-year-old Stephen Macari was responsible.
McClatchy News reached out to officials on Feb. 9 about the relationship between the Whitmores and Macari but did not immediately receive a response.
A Marion County grand jury indicted Jeneal Whitmore and Macari on Feb. 5, officials said. Macari was arrested in Lewisburg, and Jeneal Whitmore was arrested in Franklin, which is just south of Nashville.
Keith Whitmore, who loved to fish and hunt, was an advanced emergency medical technician at a hospital, his family wrote in his obituary.
“Looked to as a mentor by many, he was always willing to help and share his knowledge,” his family wrote. “His main love in life was his children, they are his purest form of pride.”
South Pittsburg is about 20 miles west of downtown Chattanooga.
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