KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Two men are facing charges months after the disappearance and death of Chelsie Walker in Monroe County.
According to Walker's autopsy report, she died of a suspected overdose. Investigators said there were no signs of abuse but her body was found just miles from one suspect's home.
"It's kind of frustrating too because it's like she was just dumped out like she was garbage or something like that," Detective Dalton Rinehart said. "She was located just over the ledge. It wasn't really that far at all. Just right there at the bottom."
Deputies said they found her body in a ditch near Bent Creek Trail.
"We were sad because of you know, how we found her. We didn't find her alive, but there was a lot of relief when we found her too because we knew we could give the family some closure at least," Rinehart said.
Gerald Hayden Millsaps and Andrew Young were indicted for multiple charges in Walker's disappearance and death.
Millsaps was charged with second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, and on Thursday the Monroe County Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. Deputies took him into custody later Thursday, setting his bond at $200,000.
Young is facing charges of facilitation of second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. His bond was set at $100,000.
Walker was reported missing to the MPD on Oct. 31, 2022. At the time, the Detectives Division began an investigation and gathered evidence that Walker was last seen at a home in Tellico Plains, according to the Madisonville Police Department.
On Nov. 6, 2022, deputies arrested Young and booked him into the Monroe County Jail for fraudulent use of a debit card.
A Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputy said in the affidavit they were investigating Walker's disappearance, saying she had left a Walmart in Madisonville with another man on Oct. 29. Walker's vehicle was found abandoned in the store's parking lot.
The deputy said Walker was seen getting into a vehicle with Millsaps. The deputy spoke with Millsaps, who said he picked Walker up and they went to Young's home on Sawmill Road in Tellico Plains.
The affidavit said Young told investigators Walker and Millsaps had arrived at his home on Oct. 29, which was the last time she was reported being seen by anyone.
The deputy said they ran a check on Walker's bank card and discovered it was used to buy gas at a station on Highway 68 in Tellico Plains. Officers reviewed camera footage from the gas station and saw Young using the card, saying it happened around 1:19 p.m. on the day Walker had disappeared.
The deputy said Young did not consent to use the card to purchase anything.
"There was evidence that came to life that led us to believe these two were responsible for the death of Chelsie Walker," Investigator Conway Mason said. "According to findings of the autopsy, Ms. Walker's death was a result of an overdose."
According to state law, If someone dies of an overdose, the one who provided the drugs can be held accountable.
"It started the chain of events that led to the discarding of her remains," Mason said. "Could've been scared. Didn't want us to find her. Who knows?"
Deputies believe Walker's body stayed inside this house for days and said suspects later discarded her body just miles away from the house.
Investigator Conway Mason says their main objective, in this case, is justice.
"What we are trying to do is go after the individuals that provide drugs that caused this to happen and keep it happening to anyone else," Mason said.
After conducting a search warrant at Young's home, deputies said they found a one-pot meth lab inside a dryer in the home and a handgun.
