FENTRESS COUNTY, Tenn. — A Fentress County man faces murder charges in Muncie, Ind., accused of beating an acquaintance in the head to death and then moving his body to Tennessee, where he hid it for more than five years.
Ian J. Shelden, 41, faces murder, theft and fraud charges among others in Delaware County, Ind. Indiana authorities seek to extradite him more than 300 miles northward to their state for trial.
Shelden is alleged to have murdered acquaintance and former housemate Mark Trent, age 55, in March 2016 in Trent's home. Shelden had previously lived in Trent's house with a woman identified as Tracy Shelden.
They parted ways.
Authorities allege Ian Shelden murdered Trent during a confrontation in Trent's house. He beat him to death with a "tent stake," records state, and then carried his body to Tennessee.
The Sheldens left Indiana for good. Trent was never seen alive again, and his family reported him missing.
According to an affidavit for probable cause, soon after Trent disappeared, a message on his Facebook page stated he was reevaluating his life and taking a break from everyone, "possibly permanently," the affidavit states.
Family members told police at the time it was unusual for Trent to just suddenly vanish, leaving his dogs, without explanation.
Five years later, a niece told investigators she thought the Sheldens were involved in her uncle's disappearance.
The investigation then shifted to Tennessee, where police spoke both with Tracy and Ian Shelden.
Ian Shelden ultimately confessed Oct. 19, 2021, to killing Trent, after offering other, differing stories. He admitted that after killing Trent in 2016, he'd loaded the victim's body into a "tote," put it in Trent's truck and driven to Tennessee.
He said he'd dropped Trent's body "from the side of a steep mountain overhang."
On Oct. 19, 2021, he led investigators to where he'd disposed of Trent's remains, records state. Authorities found a bag of bones they later were able to confirm as being those of Trent.