An Etowah teen is being charged with murder following the disappearance and death of a teen girl in 2017.
On July 1, 2017 -- the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation sent agents to help Etowah law enforcement in the investigation of a missing teen girl,18-year-old Kelsey Burnette.
Burnette's body was found on the side of road on Charles Street in Etowah three days later on July 4, and authorities began investigating the case as a homicide.
Residents of the town were met with shock and disbelief at the news. Burnette was a recent graduate of McMinn Central High School at the time, and was known to be a "fine young lady."
"For a small community like this, for something like this to happen, it impacts everyone. Everybody is greatly saddened," McMinn Co. Director of Schools Mickey Blevins said at the time. "Everybody that knew her talked about how sweet she was and what a bubbly personality."
►Read More: Death of McMinn Co. teen ruled a homicide
On June 21, 2018 - the TBI said authorities had arrested an Etowah Teen and charged him with murder. Authorities are withholding his identity at the moment, saying he was a juvenile at the time of the offense.
The TBI said the suspect surrendered himself to law enforcement and he was charged with one count of Felony Murder and one count of Aggravated Rape.
He was booked into the McMinn County Jail, where he is being held on an open court bond.