Sevier County woman still missing after 2010 house fire
SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — It's been more than 14 years since Theresa Mcmullin disappeared and her home burned, but law enforcement is still investigating, hoping to find out what happened to her.
On September 12, 2010, firefighters responded to the scene of a house fire on Shady Gap Way in Sevier County. The address of the home is connected to the town of Cosby, but the home itself was in a rural area of east Sevier County. When crews arrived, they found that the home had already been on fire for some time, but they extinguished the remaining blaze.
Girl still missing after disappearing on 1976 high school trip in the Smokies
Eventually, it became clear to the fire department that a woman, Mcmullin, lived there, Deputy Chief Jeff McCarter with the Sevier County Sheriff's Office shared while speaking with 6 News about the case. Crews sifted through the debris multiple times, but no human remains were found. At that point, it was determined that she was missing, and she is still missing today.
Mcmullin, who also went by the name of Terry, was known to be a woman who kept to herself. At the time of the fire, she was 63 years old, but if she were alive today, she would be 77 years old. McCarter explained that she wasn't very well known by anyone in the area, but she had moved to Sevier County from Florida several years before her disappearance.
In addition to sifting through the debris, McCarter explained that there have been searches of other areas, including searches using cadaver dogs and search teams. McCarter said investigators believe something may have happened to Mcmullin.
'I believe she came to foul play in the house and her body was moved,' McCarter said. 'She had some medical issues, and she was prescribed some very high pain killers, so I believe that might have been the driving force between what happened to her.'
He explained that while there where some drug activities associated with people around Mcmullin, it is not believed that she was part of those activities.
Case still unsolved after Indiana man's body found in Campbell County in 1979
While some might be tempted to believe that Mcmullin was in the home but the fire was simply too hot for her remains to be found afterwards, McCarter explained that is extremely unlikely. Crews on the scene discovered animal remains in the fire, so if her remains were in the home, they likely would have been found.
Another aspect of the case that is unusual is that her car was still outside the home at the time of the fire, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and her son had not seen her since the fire.
Throughout the investigation, investigators have interviewed various people who were close to Mcmullin and the case. McCarter said they spoke with Mcmullin's brother, who lived in Georgia, and with her son, who lived on the property but not in Mcmullin's home and has since left the area. They also spoke with others who were hanging around her son.
McCarter said that there have been several obstacles in the case, including that in the last few years of the investigation, some of the people who were initially interviewed, and who investigators hoped to reinterview, have died.
Over the years, investigators have gotten some help through tips, but after interviews and continued investigation, there hasn't been enough evidence to substantiate what they have been told. Still, they are continuing to work and learn what happened to Theresa Mcmullin.
'We're not going to stop investigating this until we find out what happened to her,' McCarter said. 'There's always somebody out there [who] knows something.'
Police still searching for answers in Knoxville's recent 'no-body' murder case
Although it's still unclear what caused Mcmullin's disappearance, there is still an effort to find her. If something did happen that resulted in her death, McCarter pointed out that she deserves to be properly laid to rest.
'Her body's never been recovered and she deserves a proper burial, you know, and we'd like information on what might have happened to her remains,' McCarter said.
Anyone who has any information that could help investigators is encouraged to call the Sevier County Sheriff's Office at 865-453-4668 and ask to speak with the Criminal Investigations Division.
Authorities say nearly 400 people go missing in Tennessee each year. That's five people for every 100,000. Check this list of people missing from East Tennessee to see if you can help locate someone.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Eaton County feeling the impact of failed public safety millage
EATON COUNTY, Mich. (WLNS) – Officials in Eaton County say they're feeling the impacts of the failed public safety millage that appeared last November, and again at the beginning of May. The millage failed in May with almost 57% of voters rejecting the proposal. Sheriff Tom Reich tells 6 News this has caused a lack of road patrol, more staff resignations—and only one officer working for animal control. Eaton County, Delta Township reach tentative deal on police services That single officer is mostly responsible for maintaining the building, caring for animals, and completing paperwork. With the shelter at full capacity and Animal Control without officers to send out, Sheriff Reich says the community will need to rely on local police departments for their needs. The sheriff also says he's sad to see so many great deputies moving to other departments due to a lack of stability and support. Eaton County officials discuss major budget cuts While officials understand that community members may not want a tax increase, they say they'll pay the price in other ways. 'Public safety is what they're gonna give up,' said Sheriff Reich. 'Sure, Michigan State Police is going to be out there taking calls. However, you've got to keep in mind there's only so many troopers out there at Post 11, and they have three different counties to worry about.' Plans for another attempt at the Public Safety Millage are up in the air at the moment, but Sheriff Reich says there's a possibility of trying again in 2026. 'Taxes, no one likes taxes. I don't like taxes either. I think public safety would be worth it,' said Sheriff Reich. 'This is the first time Eaton County has ever had this kind of a problem of having no road patrol, and it's a first for me.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Community unites to end gun violence
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Community members came together Saturday afternoon, wearing orange, as part of a nationwide effort to combat gun violence. Lansing community members came together to honor those affected by gun violence and to end the ongoing crisis. Saturday afternoon, they're spreading their awareness by spreading some flowers. 6News spoke to many volunteers, like Symphany Horn, who wanted their voices to be heard. 'Being an activist advocating for the end of gun violence is a huge step into changing the way Lansing is and to the right direction,' said Horn. Horn knows the impact gun violence has on young adults all too well. 'My brother's classmate. He was a victim of gun violence. He died, I think, two years ago,' said Horn. She's honoring those impacted by the color orange to raise awareness about gun violence prevention. 'My classmate, her childhood friend, he died as well,' said Horn. That's why she's made it her mission to plant a seed to grow a new generation of young adults who will say no to guns. That's also why Katie See, with Greater Lansing Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, says the event is all about supporting the victims and survivors who had their lives turned upside down. 'We're digging in the dirt together. We have contributions from Home Depot of these buckets. We've wrapped them with placards,' said See. 'We are filling them with orange flowers. We're distributing them across the city to raise consciousness to remind people that gun violence is happening everywhere.' Michiganders, young and old, came together, filling buckets with dirt, to make a positive impact on lives. This is something Michael McKissic, founder of Mikey 23 Foundation, lives by after his son was shot and killed. He has made it his job to mentor Lansing youth and steer them away from gun violence. 'Their voices matter, because if we let their voices speak up and everything, therefore, we can make a big change if we listen to our youths for sure,' said McKissic. Letting young people voice their concerns is what Horn will do to continue to fight against the ongoing epidemic, that is, gun violence. 'Having a positive environment to grow up in can really help shape who a person is,' said Horn. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
New Grace Performing Arts Center facility to include much needed space to grow
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On Sunday, Grace Baptist Church and Grace Christian Academy broke ground on an exciting new state of the art facility addition for the Grace Performing Arts Center (GPAC). 6 News went to the event to check out the vision for the new space and what it could mean for GPAC currently provides instruction in music, dance, and visual arts. Crews respond to drowning on Douglas Lake in Jefferson County 'The Bible talks about the arts so much about using wires and strings in our voices to praise the Lord. And so being able to do that and really allow the students to use what God's given them for him cause not everyone is gifted in academics or athletics but being able to use these gifts for his glory. It's going to be so exciting!' said Heather Lievsay the GPAC Director. The new performing arts building project has been four years in the making. It is fully funded, costing around 5.5 million dollars. The facility will have a 250-seat recital hall and various practice rooms, space that desperately needed as the program continues to grow. Over 200 students are expected this fall. GPAC was recently honored as the Best Music School and Best Dance Studio by the Knox Stars Community Choice Awards. 'We need more practice room, more space, more recital time. We have these practice lessons occurring all over the campus. Everywhere we found a room, we put a kid in it to take a musical lesson. So, we really needed a dedicated area to be able to handle the volume of children and even adults who want to learn different things dance, music, singing,' explained Barry Silver, the Pastor of Executive Operations and Finance with Grace Baptist Church. Five charged after $500,000 worth of pure fentanyl seized in Knox County drug bust Previously the program has operated out of random spaces across campus. The new space will provide more opportunities for children and parents to utilize their talents and reach more members of the community. 'It's going to give us a great opportunity to reach the community even more with extra space, to be able to really allow people to hone in their skills,' explained Lievsay. She went on to talk about the growth the program has seen 'One thing that's been really cool the last couple years, just to see this go from mostly younger kids who want to take to watching parents and grandparents get involved. And so, they're not just at the performances, they're taking lessons and they're taking classes.' Silver also shared that the new facility will be used by various programs within the academy and church, with hopes for it to become the most utilized building on campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
