MADISONVILLE, Tenn. - The murder case in Tennessee, which led to the arrests of a Gainesville man and woman earlier this week, involves the death of a man whose remains were found at the site of a house fire in Tellico Plains, Tenn. April 10.
The Monroe County, Tenn., Sheriff's Office says deputy James Fischer who responded to the house fire with firefighters "noted a number of irregularities on scene and reported them to detectives."
Further investigation led officers to secure a search warrant which was executed on April 13.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office investigators, the Tennessee State Bomb and Arson Office, the District Attorney's Office, and a volunteer Tennessee Emergency Management Agency K-9 Team began a search of the property during which what appeared to be human remains were found.
The property belonged to Toney Presley, who had been reported missing April 12.
Tentative identification determined that the remains were those of Toney Presley.
On Thursday April 14, Detective Travis Jones charged Cheryl Rebecca Norwood with criminal conspiracy to commit first degree murder, abuse of a corpse, two counts of tampering with evidence, arson, and theft over $1,000. Norwood is being held at the Monroe County Jail. At the time of her arrest, investigators said they expected to make more arrests but did not elaborate.
Sunday night, the Hall County Sheriff's Office was asked by Monroe County authorities to try and locate and arrest another suspect in the case, Nicholas Ronnie Dean Jones, 19, of Gainesville. Jones was arrested Monday as was another 19-year-old from Gainesville, Elizabeth Ann Wiseman. (See earlier story.)
Lt. Jennifer Bledsoe, the public information officer for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, said Wednesday morning she could not comment further on the case or the alleged involvement of Jones and Wiseman and that there was no one in the office Wednesday who could.
Friday
July 4th, 2025
8:46PM
