Tennessee Woman High on Meth Stuffed Man’s Body Into Barrel at a Motel 6 Because ‘She Just Wanted the Body Out of Her Room’: Police

A Tennessee woman has been arrested after admitting to putting a man’s body in a barrel and covering it with a blanket at a Motel 6, according to authorities.

An anonymous tip led the Chattanooga police to the body of 30-year-old Jose Lopez at a Motel 6 on June 5, according to WTVC.

After an investigation, 44-year-old Jamie May Smith allegedly admitted to stuffing Lopez in a barrel and covering the barrel up with a blanket.

During their investigation, police found methamphetamine in the room next to where Lopez’s body was found. Smith told investigators she used methamphetamine and a search warrant revealed she had rented a room at the motel, WTVC reported.

According to authorities, a police officer was at the motel to retrieve surveillance footage when Smith went to the front desk, which led to her arrest. The surveillance footage showed someone, resembling Smith, leaving the room where Lopez’s body was found, according to WTVC.

When talking with police, Smith allegedly said four days earlier, she went into her room and Lopez was laying on the bed and appeared to be breathing. However, she said she came back later and Lopez was unresponsive, WTVC reported.

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She said she “freaked out, so she went to the baseball fields down the road and grabbed a barrel,” according to court records. “She stated she just wanted the body out of her room, she did not want to call police, and that she did not want to go to jail.”

Smith was charged with abuse of a corpse and possession of methamphetamine, officials said.