Second indictment in Mount Olive murder and abuse of corpse
A Jefferson County woman has been indicted in the 2022 death of a California man whose body was found in Mt. Olive.
Christal Elaine Skelton is charged with intentional murder and abuse of a corpse. She is being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
The victim, Zachery Steed Coats, 31, of Wildomar, California, was found dead in a shallow grave behind a home in the 37oo block of Raceway Parkway in Mount Olive.
> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Second arrest made after human remains found in Mount Olive
Deputies were dispatched to the house for a welfare check on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, after his family had not heard from him for several months, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
When deputies arrived they did not get an answer at the door but noticed what appeared to be a freshly dug grave on the property.
Investigators called in a cadaver dog which indicated the presence of a human body. Deputies got a warrant and dug up Coats' remains.
Court documents say that Coats had been shot.
William McKnight was also indicted on intentional murder and abuse of a corpse charges in the case.
His pretrial hearing is set for May 6.
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