Tennessee man accused of burning his father’s body in fire pit
08/19/2025 1:31 pm PDT
MARION COUNTY, Tenn. (TCN) -- A 56-year-old man allegedly placed his father’s body in a fire pit and burned his remains.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office discovered information suggesting that Richard Wilder hid his dad’s remains at a location in Mullins Cove. Detectives and investigators with the 12th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office responded to the scene.
Authorities collected human remains from a fire pit and sent them to the medical examiner’s office in Nashville for positive identification. The sheriff’s office did not say how the victim died.
According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Marion County Sheriff Ronnie "Bo" Burnett said Wilder’s father died in December 2024, and Wilder allegedly "took him over to a spot on Mullins Cove and tried to destroy the body by fire."
Authorities arrested Wilder at his home on Aug. 14 on a charge of abuse of a corpse. He was booked into the Marion County Justice Center and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 20.
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