Tenn. inmate arrested in Upstate charged with murder in man’s disappearance

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – Billy Fletcher, an inmate who escaped work detail and was captured in South Carolina last week, has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of Victor Birchfield , according to a release from the Carter County Sheriff’s Office.

Fletcher was indicted with charges of first-degree murder, first-degree murder during the commission of a felony, abuse of a corpse, and theft over $2,500 by a Johnson County grand jury on Friday, the release said.

Birchfield was reported missing on June 21.

Human remains were discovered in Butler on July 6.

Birchfield’s daughter told News Channel 11 that she believed the remains to be her father’s. Although the remains await official identification, the release said the remains are believed to be Birchfield’s.

According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation is ongoing, and additional charges against Fletcher are pending.

Fletcher’s bond has been set at $1 million and he is scheduled to be arraigned in Johnson County on Aug. 9.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are working on the case.

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