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Man’s Body Found Stuffed In Barrel In Chattanooga Hotel Room, Woman Charged

Jun 6, 2023 | 3:47 PM

A 44-year-old woman has been charged after a man’s body was found stuffed in a barrel in a Chattanooga hotel room.  Working on a tip, police made the gruesome discovery Saturday at the Motel 6 on Lee Highway.  The deceased has been identified as 30-year-old Jose Heredia Lopez.  Jamie May Smith, also known as Jamie Holland, was renting the room next door. During the investigation, Holland told police she found Lopez unresponsive several days prior and “freaked out”.  She grabbed a barrel from a nearby baseball field, brought it back to the hotel and put the body inside because she did not want it in her room.  She said she did not want to call police and she did not want to go to jail.  Holland was arrested Monday and charged with abuse of a corpse and possession of methamphetamine.