A Tullahoma woman has been indicted on charges of abuse of a corpse in relation to a case that dates back several years.
On Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, Tullahoma Police received a call to Watts N Storage at 1004 Old Estill Springs Rd in Tullahoma regarding unidentified remains found in a storage unit that had recently been auctioned.
It was not readily apparent if the remains were human. Upon sending the remains to the medical examiner’s office, they determined that the remains were that of a human newborn.
According to a release from District Attorney General Craig Northcott, it was learned that the storage unit had been continuously rented by Melissa Sims McCann, 62, of Tullahoma, since March 1994.
Officers with Tullahoma Police Department discovered that she allegedly rented the unit for the sole purpose of storing the remains of her full-term newborn baby, according to a release from Northcott. The release goes on to state that the baby had been “delivered at home a few days prior to the renting of the unit.”
Coffee County grand jury indicted McCann for two counts of Abuse of a Corpse on Friday, Dec. 10.
“If further investigation establishes evidence of other crimes, additional indictments will be sought as appropriate,” Northcott states.
McCann is scheduled to appear in Coffee County Circuit Court for arraignment on Friday, Dec. 17 at 9 a.m.
