Sources |
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 1 Feb 2008.
Maurice Edward O'Neil obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 28 Apr 2009.
Search enters third day for missing woman
Author: Rick Hooper
NEWPORT-The search for a missing 19-year-old Newport woman, whose 2001 red Mitsubishi Eclipse was found burned early Sunday along the French Broad River east of Newport, entered its third day today.
Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults said local law enforcement agencies are tracking all leads in trying to locate Megan Maxwell, who reportedly lived at 859 Brookfield Drive in Newport.
According to Shults, Maxwell had gone to her father's home and called a friend at 4:27 a.m. Sunday, saying, "I'm going to finish this cigarette and come home." Maxwell, however, never arrived.
"(Patrolman) Derek Wright was on his way home when he saw her car fully engulfed in flames near the old Riverside Truck Stop," said Shults.
Shults said the Newport Police Department, Cocke County Sheriff's Office, TBI, Newport Rescue Squad and THP helicopter participated Monday in search efforts.
Shults said evidence at the scene prompted a search in and along the French Broad River.
"At first, we had the Rescue Squad just going along the river seeing if there was anything on the banks," said Shults. "Later in the day they did some dragging but didn't come up with anything."
Shults said authorities were meeting this morning and plan to continue the search effort today.
"We hope she is just missing," said Shults. "But the more time that goes by causes more concern. The community is continuing to pray for her and her family."
Maxwell is described as being 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing approximately 115 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. The jeans had large holes in the fabric.
Anyone with information as to Maxwell's whereabouts, or as to the events leading to the fire that destroyed her vehicle, a red 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse, is asked to call the Newport Police Department at 423-623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at 423-623-1285.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 30 Apr 2009.
Authorities question individual about missing woman
Members of the Cocke County Rescue Squad set out in the French Broad River doing another search Tuesday
for Megan Maxwell, who has been missing since Sunday.
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults told the Newport Plain Talk today that authorities are talking to an individual who may have information that could help resolve the case of 19-year-old Megan Maxwell, who has been missing since Sunday.
"We need to know what this person knows," Shults said.
The chief would neither confirm nor deny if the person was a suspect in the case.
Shults also reiterated a plea he made Wednesday for the public to report to police "anything, no matter how insignificant they think it can be" about Maxwell's whereabouts.
In early Sunday morning, Maxwell disappeared and her 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was found burned.
Shults said Wednesday, "We're hoping that the more information we are getting, and getting out, may be the break for us."
He said then, "There is no indication that she is not alive. We hold out hope for the family."
Maxwell, who reportedly lived at 859 Brookfield Drive in Newport, went to her father's home and called a friend at 4:27 a.m. Sunday.
"We just continue to plead with the public" to report any details about Maxwell's whereabouts from about 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, Shults said Wednesday, the fourth day she has not been heard from.
Shults said a tracking dog was used Wednesday morning to run a couple of leads, but they did not turn up anything.
"We're back to ground zero," Shults said Wednesday.
Maxwell is described as being 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. The jeans had large holes in the fabric. She was said to have a heart tattoo on her right hand.
Anyone with information as to Maxwell's whereabouts, or as to the events leading to the fire that destroyed her vehicle, is asked to call the Newport Police Department at 423-623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at 423-623-1285.
A missing person/runaway report filed Monday, April 27, said Megan Maxwell's mother, Lisa Maxwell, reported her daughter had been missing since 4:27 a.m. on Sunday, April 26.
Hollie Lane, described as a friend of Megan Maxwell's, was spending the night with Megan and stated that Maxwell received a phone call between 3 and 4 a.m. telling her that "something was going on" at the house of her father, Steve Maxwell, and "that police were there."
Lane said Maxwell got in her car and drove to her father's house and that Megan called her at 4:27 a.m. and told her "everything was fine and that she was going to smoke a cigarette and would be right home," according to the report by Cocke County Deputy Sheriff Brian Holt.
Lane and Maxwell's mother stated that Megan never showed up. Her mother stated that she spoke with her ex-husband, Steve Maxwell, and that he told her he had been drinking and remembered Megan being at his residence, but didn't remember her leaving.
She was last seen wearing a green jacket and blue jeans, according to Holt's report.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 3 May 2009.
Volunteer search turns up nothing new on missing teen
©2009 NPT PHOTO BY NELSON MORAIS
Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults attended the organizing of research parties of volunteers on Friday. Shown next to the police chief is Lisa Maxwell, mother of Megan Maxwell, who has been missing since last Sunday. Volunteers concerned about Maxwell’s whereabouts showed up in the morning outside the Dollar General store on Highway 25/70. Shults and others emphasized to the volunteers how important it was to not move or even touch any possible evidence they might find, but to alert the police department. No leads were found, Shults told the NPT on Saturday.
Author: Staff Report
NEWPORT-An estimated 70 volunteers gathered Friday morning to help in the search for 19-year-old Megan Maxwell, who has been missing since April 26.
Despite their efforts, however, Friday's search turned up no new clues.
The group reportedly searched the area where Maxwell's car was found burning last Sunday, near the old Riverside Truck Stop off Highway 25/70 east of Newport. Volunteers also reportedly searched along the French Broad River and the Jimtown Bluff along the Pigeon River, according to Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults.
"To my knowledge, they didn't find anything," said Shults. "We didn't get any calls.
"We're checking out every lead we get but we really don't have much to go on right now."
Shults said fire investigators are examining the remains of Maxwell's car to possibly uncover additional evidence.
On Thursday, Fourth Judicial District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn announced that Gov. Phil Bredesen has authorized a $10,000 reward to anyone providing information leading to the apprehension, arrest and conviction of any person responsible for the disappearance of Maxwell.
Dunn said he and state Rep. Eddie Yokley had requested the governor give authorization for reward.
A missing person/runaway report filed Monday, April 27, said Megan Maxwell's mother, Lisa Maxwell, reported her daughter had been missing since 4:27 a.m. on Sunday, April 26.
Hollie Lane, described as a friend of Megan Maxwell's, was spending the night with Megan and stated that Maxwell received a phone call between 3 and 4 a.m. telling her that "something was going on" at the house of her father, Steve Maxwell, and "that police were there."
Lane said Maxwell got in her car and drove to her father's house and that Megan called her at 4:27 a.m. and told her "everything was fine and that she was going to smoke a cigarette and would be right home."
Lane and Maxwell's mother stated that Megan never showed up. Her mother stated that she spoke with her ex-husband, Steve Maxwell, and that he told her he had been drinking and remembered Megan being at his residence, but didn't remember her leaving.
Maxwell is described as being 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to Holt's report.
Anyone with information as to Maxwell's whereabouts, or as to the events leading to the fire that destroyed her vehicle, is asked to call the Newport Police Department at 423-623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at 423-623-1285.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 5 May 2009.
Second volunteer search organized for missing teen
NEWPORT-The father of a close friend of Megan Maxwell, a missing Newport teenager, organized another search today for Maxwell, who has been missing more than a week.
Randy Lane is the father of Hollie Lane, a friend of 19-year-old Maxwell.
Lane, Maxwell's mother, Lisa Maxwell, and many volunteers met near the Dollar General parking lot at 9 a.m. today to begin another search for Megan Maxwell.
An estimated 70 volunteers gathered Friday morning to help in the search for the teen, who has been missing since April 26.
Despite their efforts, however, Friday's search turned up no new clues.
The group reportedly searched the area where Maxwell's car was found burning last Sunday, near the old Riverside Truck Stop off Highway 25/70 east of Newport. Volunteers also reportedly searched along the French Broad River and the Jimtown Bluff along the Pigeon River, according to Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults.
This morning's search was scheduled to cover 10 areas where the body of Maxwell may be, or clues to her whereabouts.
They included the areas on and near Neddy Mountain Road, Manning Chapel Road, Casey Way, Fairfax Road, Good Hope Road, Irish Cutt Road, Edwina South, Pleasant Grove Road, Dark Hollow Road, and Witton Springs Road.
Volunteers with the Newport Rescue Squad and three volunteers with the State Guard who drove from Knoxville, arrived this morning to help with the search.
Lisa Maxwell said her daughter, who had earlier quit Cocke County High School and was scheduled to take her GED exams last Thursday, had hoped to graduate with her high school class at Cocke County High School this spring.
"She loved tennis, was always happy, with a smile on her face, and really outgoing," Lisa Maxwell recalled this morning.
"She had a lot of friends," said Lisa Maxwell of her daughter as a steady stream of volunteers parked their cars near Dollar General to assist in today's search.
On Thursday, Fourth Judicial District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn announced that Gov. Phil Bredesen has authorized a $10,000 reward to anyone providing information leading to the apprehension, arrest and conviction of any person responsible for the disappearance of Maxwell.
Dunn said he and state Rep. Eddie Yokley had requested the governor give authorization for reward.
A missing person/runaway report filed Monday, April 27, said Megan Maxwell's mother, reported her daughter had been missing since 4:27 a.m. on Sunday, April 26.
Hollie Lane was spending the night with Megan and stated that Maxwell received a phone call between 3 and 4 a.m. telling her that "something was going on" at the house of her father, Steve Maxwell, and "that police were there."
Lane said Maxwell got in her car and drove to her father's house and that Megan called her at 4:27 a.m. and told her "everything was fine and that she was going to smoke a cigarette and would be right home."
Lane and Maxwell's mother stated that Megan never showed up. Her mother stated that she spoke with her ex-husband, Steve Maxwell, and that he told her he had been drinking and remembered Megan being at his residence, but didn't remember her leaving.
Maxwell is described as being 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to Holt's report.
Anyone with information as to Maxwell's whereabouts, or as to the events leading to the fire that destroyed her vehicle, is asked to call the Newport Police Department at 423-623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at 423-623-1285.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 7 May 2009.
Still no new clues in case of missing teen
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults on Wednesday said no new leads have surfaced in the case of 19-year-old Megan Maxwell, who disappeared early Sunday morning on April 26.
"I haven't received any new information today," said Shults to the Newport Plain Talk.
A search party of volunteers looked for clues to her whereabouts in several areas on Tuesday, May 5, apparently without success.
Maxwell's 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was found burned the morning she disappeared.
Maxwell is described as being 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing approximately 115 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. The jeans had large holes in the fabric.
Anyone with information as to Maxwell's whereabouts, or as to the events leading to the fire that destroyed her vehicle, is asked to call the Newport Police Department at 423-623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at 423-623-1285.
A missing person/runaway report filed Monday, April 27, said Megan Maxwell's mother, Lisa Maxwell, reported her daughter had been missing since 4:27 a.m. on Sunday, April 26.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 17 May 2009.
Search efforts continue for Maxwell
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-District Attorney Jimmy Dunn told The Newport Plain Talk on Friday that law enforcement officers were "pursuing every possible avenue" to find Megan Maxwell, who disappeared early Sunday morning on April 26.
"If someone calls us, we check it out immediately," Dunn said.
He said on Friday that members of the Knox County Rescue Squad were bringing underwater sonar equipment to Newport to help with the search, but emphasized it was not being used to follow up a specific lead.
"We've got to do it all. It takes time," Dunn said of the search for potential locations of Maxwell.
Search parties of volunteers from the community have daily formed beside the Dollar General store on West Highway 25/70 and gone out to look for clues to Maxwell's whereabouts in several areas, so far without success.
Maxwell's 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was found burned the morning she disappeared.
Maxwell is described as being 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing approximately 115 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. The jeans had large holes in the fabric.
Anyone with information as to Maxwell's whereabouts, or as to the events leading to the fire that destroyed her vehicle, is asked to call the Newport Police Department at 423-623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at 423-623-1285.
A missing person/runaway report filed Monday, April 27, said Megan Maxwell's mother, Lisa Maxwell, reported her daughter had been missing since 4:27 a.m. on Sunday, April 26.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 19 May 2009.
CLB votes to help in Maxwell search $10,000 appropriated for landfill search
Author: Rick Hooper
NEWPORT-The Cocke County Legislative Body voted Monday night to provide $10,000 to help search the Tidi-Waste Landfill in Hamblen County for Megan Maxwell, a 19-year-old Newport woman missing since April 26.
The money was offered by Sheriff Claude Strange from his department's reserves in the gas fund line item.
"We need to investigate every avenue," said Fourth Judicial District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn, who first posed the request to the Finance Committee in a meeting prior to Monday's CLB meeting.
"A few years ago, we had a lady disappear and it was learned years later that her body went into the landfill. I would hate for it to come up four or five years later that this happened to Megan Maxwell."
Dunn said investigators want to search a 250 ft. by 250 ft., 12-foot deep section in the landfill.
"We will need at least two pieces of equipment and it costs $120 per hour to operate them," said Dunn. "If you can help, we would appreciate it. If you can't, I understand."
Dunn initially requested $7,000 for the search effort. Cocke County Detective Derrick Woods, however, suggested providing $10,000 for the project.
"I've been talking to the people at the landfill and it could take two days or two weeks," said Woods.
"I don't think Dunn would ask us for this if he didn't have a reason," said CLB member Norman Smith.
"General Dunn's Office has worked very hard on this case and I think it would be good if we could help," added County Mayor Iliff McMahan Jr.
Henry "Skip" Gregory moved to transfer the funds for the search in the Finance Committee, with a second offered by Love Henderson. Members unanimously approved the measure as did the full CLB.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 24 May 2009.
Update on Maxwell
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT – District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn said Thursday that soon, but not this Memorial Day weekend, researchers plan to spend two 12-hour days in a section of a landfill to look for the body of missing 19-year-old Megan Maxwell.
Dunn said he had hoped to conduct a search of the 250-foot by 250-foot, 12-foot deep section of Tidi-Waste Landfill in Hamblen County this weekend, but said too much was involved in planning it to carry it out so quickly.
"It just takes time and work (to plan and coordinate)," Dunn said of the landfill search. He added, "It's not like TV where it gets done in an hour."
Meanwhile, Dunn said, law enforcement search teams have been heading out almost daily in search of Maxwell's body. Help is coming from outside the area, too, including the use of cadaver-hunting dogs from the Knox County Rescue Squad, he said.
Dunn praised members of the community for their cooperative spirit and concern for finding Maxwell.
"In this particular case, it seems everybody is cooperative and working hard," Dunn said. He continued, "There are folks who care in our community. I'm really pleased."
Citing an example of community concern and support, Dunn said he recently ran into a man while at a convenience store who volunteered to run equipment to use in the landfill search.
Dunn also said he hoped someone would come forward with the conclusive tip to find Maxwell in order to collect a $10,000 reward that Gov. Phil Bredesen has offered for such information.
Dunn said, "Just everywhere I go, this (case) is on people's minds."
Maxwell disappeared early Sunday morning on April 26 east of Newport.
Anyone with information as to Maxwell's whereabouts, or as to the events leading to the fire that destroyed her 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse, is asked to call the Newport Police Department at 423-623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of the district attorney at 423-623-1285.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 31 May 2009.
The Search For Megan Maxwell Continues
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn said Friday that because of "a lot" of planning obstacles and the inability to arrange for cadaver-sniffing dogs, a search of a section of the landfill for the body of missing Megan Maxwell could not begin this weekend.
"No dogs are available this weekend," Dunn said.
However, Dunn said he was hopeful the search of a large and deep section of Tidi-Waste Landfill in Hamblen County could begin next weekend.
Maxwell, 19, disappeared early Sunday morning on April 26 east of Newport. Her Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicle was found burned up.
Dunn said investigators want to search a 250-foot by 250-foot, 12-foot deep section in the landfill.
Dunn said, "If we had a dog or two dogs, they can sniff a lot faster than we (searchers) can see."
He said Friday morning he was trying hard to get cadaver-sniffing dogs from the Knoxville Rescue Squad and other squads.
The rescue operation must be conducted on weekends when the landfill is closed, Dunn explained. The search will require heavy machinery and operators who are employed at the landfill during regular weekday hours.
"Our target date is Saturday, June 6," Dunn said.
The Cocke County Legislative Body voted May 18 to provide $10,000 to help search the Tidi-Waste Landfill.
- [S27] The Daily Times, http://www.thedailytimes.com/, (Blount County, Tennessee), 3 Jun 2009.
Hamblen County landfill to be searched for missing Newport teenager
NEWPORT — A state prosecutor says a landfill in Hamblen County will be searched for a missing young woman from Newport.
WATE-TV in Knoxville quoted District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn as saying a trash container near the home of Megan Maxwell's father had been emptied not long after her disappearance April 26.
The 19-year-old Maxwell had checked on the welfare of her father and phoned a friend that she was coming home. Her burned car was found later that morning along a highway.
Dunn said equipment will be used to excavate about a dozen feet into the landfill over the weekend and searchers hope to have cadaver dogs to aid them.
The state is offering a $10,000 reward in the case.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 4 Jun 2009.
Quarry search for Maxwell turns up nothing new
District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn observes the search for Megan Maxwell in an old rock quarry Tuesday afternoon. Members of the Cocke County Rescue Squad, Cocke County Sheriff's Office and Newport Police Department continue to search for Maxwell, who has been missing more than a month. Inset is a photo crews searching near the banks of the quarry.
Author: Nelson Morais
Source: The Newport Plain Talk
NEWPORT-Two divers with the Newport/Cocke County Rescue Squad on Tuesday came up empty when they searched the murky waters in the old county rock quarry for the body of Megan Maxwell. It took them two hours to complete their search in waters closest to the edge of cliffs that surround most of the quarry. They did not find her. "It yielded nothing," said Police Chief Maurice Shults of the search.
Maxwell, 19, disappeared early Sunday morning on April 26 east of Newport. Her Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicle was found burned. On a cliff overseeing the operation, Chief Shults said he and members of the Rescue Squad searched the area two weeks ago, but without divers at that time. Jimmy Dunn, district attorney general, who was also at the quarry, said, "We're doing what we do every day of the week-search" for Maxwell's whereabouts. The two divers with the Cocke County Sheriff's Department were Sgt. Armando Fontes and Danny Ray Reece, a school resource officer. Dunn said of the quarry, "In the 1970s, it wasn't uncommon to find bodies here."
In another development, the Brushy Mountain Bear Club announced it will sponsor a search for Maxwell on Saturday, June 6. Members of the club and any other volunteers from the community are welcome to participate in the search. Searchers will meet at the Jones Nature Center across from Del Rio Elementary School at 8 a.m. Organizers said they need hikers, as well as drivers in vehicles, to help with Saturday's search. Volunteer searchers are encouraged to wear orange shirts and bring hand-held radios or CB radios, if they have them. Organizers will provide water to the searchers.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 7 Jun 2009.
Searches continue for Maxwell
NEWPORT-Although a search for Megan Maxwell in the Tidi Waste Landfill in Hamblen County this weekend was canceled, two other searches for the missing Newport teenager were held this weekend.
Maxwell has been missing since April 26, when her burned car was found about seven miles east of Newport.
According to authorities, they were unable to get a search organized at the landfill this weekend. No future date has been set.
However, CUE Center conducted a search on Douglas Lake Saturday and the Brushy Mountain Bear Club used members and volunteers to search in the Del Rio area.
In addition, CEU is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who can lead searchers to the direct location of Megan Maxwell; this reward will only last for ten (10) days and will begin June 5th and end at midnight on June 15.
The public does not have to reveal their identify and can be assured the funds will be paid for information that will lead to the discovery of Maxwell.
Confidential tips can also be submitted through Megan's site.
Megan Maxwell website:http://www.helpfindmeganmaxwell.com.
CUE Center volunteers also organized a candlelight service, distributed massive posters of Megan, requesting aid nationwide and even got her case featured on America's Most Wanted Show, which aired again June 6 and will remain on their Web site; they have also erected a Web site for Megan which can be viewed at www.helpfindmeganmaxwell.com.
The Missing, a new Internet show produced in Crossville, has also joined the cause.
The Missing is an online program to help gain exposure for missing children and adult cases in hopes of bringing them home safely, as well as to help pass along information to help families keep their children safe.
In a recent episode host Scott Davis features information and the picture of Megan Maxwell the 19-year-old female missing from Newport.
Davis resides in Crossville. Visit this link to view this episode, MEGAN MAXWELL <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5fMzkg2a3c&feature=channel_page>.
"We feel that any additional exposure for a missing person is valuable, and where a person may not tune into local news channels or local papers they may look at the Internet," said Davis. "In some cases the victim may be taken out of the immediate area and someone that views our program from another state could make the call that makes a difference."
Currently the show has been visited by viewers in 50 states and an estimated 31 countries worldwide and has received thousands of views via their site and YouTube.
The program is broadcast weekly on the internet via www.YouTube.com/themisingtv <http://www.youtube.com/themisingtv> ; in and through links placed on their site at www.themissing.tv <http://www.themissing.tv/>; and shared with other similar sites to help gain exposure for the cases they will cover on The Missing.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 11 Jun 2009.
Love chain, landfill search set for Maxwell
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT- The family of Megan Maxwell is organizing a love chain event this afternoon in her honor.
Maxwell, 19, disappeared early Sunday morning on April 26 east of Newport. Her Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicle was found burned up. She has apparently not been seen since that morning.
The love chain will be held starting at 4 p.m. today in the parking lot in front of Food City West in Western Plaza.
Family members are encouraging community members to participate to make the chain as long as possible.
In another development, one and possibly more cadaver searching dogs will be used with heavy equipment on Saturday, June 13, to determine if the body of Megan Maxwell is in a section of the TIDI Waste landfill in Hamblen County, according to Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults.
Searchers will use heavy equipment and at least one dog to search an area 90 feet by 100 feet, with a depth from zero to 10 feet, Shults said.
"You're talking about thousands and thousands of tons of garbage" to sift through, Shults said.
Chief Shults praised the cooperative efforts of Patrick McGuffin, owner of the landfill, to identify and close off a section of the landfill that will be searched.
"He has been patient and diligent in searching the location" of the landfill that law enforcement officials say could contain Maxwell's body, Shults said.
"They (TIDI Waste) have gone above and beyond what was asked in securing an area" for searchers, Shults added.
The police chief said one search dog is being used on loan from a "premier" company out of Maine called Merrill Investigations. He said this morning he was hopeful more than one dog from a search and rescue group will be available to use on Saturday in order to not overburden the one dog available so far.
"We'll have at least one dog" when the search takes place, Shults said this week.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Lee Stock, 41, as of this morning remained classified as "a person of interest," and not a suspect, in Maxwell's disappearance.
The Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry Web site, compiled by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, lists Stock as having a "primary residential address" of "1770 Fisher Bin Way" in Del Rio. That may be a reference to Fisher Vin Road.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 11 Jun 2009.
Newport man indicted under 'Adam Walsh Act'
Source: The Greeneville Sun
GREENEVILLE-A federal grand jury meeting in Greeneville on Tuesday indicted Jeffrey Lee Stock, 41, of Newport, on charges of traveling in interstate commerce and failing to register as a sex offender.
Stock, who is presently detained in the Grainger County Jail on charges placed by the Cocke County Sheriff's Office, will be arraigned on the federal charges on Thursday, June 18, 2009, at 9 a.m., according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office.
U.S. Attorney Russ Dedrick said Stock violated the federal "Adam Walsh Act" by being a convicted sex offender who traveled from Florida to Tennessee and failed to register with authorities here.
Stock, he said, has been identified by Cocke County authorities as "a person of interest" in the disappearance of a Newport teenager.
If convicted, Stock faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; a maximum term of supervised release of up to life; a maximum fine of $250,000, and a $100 special assessment.
The indictment of Stock is the result of an investigation by the United States Marshal's Service, the Cocke County Sheriff's Department,the District Attorney General for the Fourth Judicial District, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Smith will represent the United States.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 13 Jun 2009.
MORRISTOWN-As of presstime Saturday, search of a landfill in Hamblen County had not resulted in the discovery of the body of missing teenager Megan Maxwell.
The search of the TIDI Waste Landfill in Hamblen County began at about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and included the use of at least four highly-trained, human remains searching dogs, according to Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults.
Heavy equipment was being used to search for Maxwell's body in an area 90 feet by 100 feet, with a depth of zero to 10 feet, according to Shults.
Approximately two-thirds of the designated area had been dug up and sifted through by about 3 p.m. when the NPT last spoke with the police chief.
Shults said a total of 18 people were at the landfill participating in the search, including four employees of the landfill and officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the Cocke County Sheriff's Department, the 4th Judicial District Attorney General's office, and the Newport Police Department.
Maxwell, 19, disappeared very early Sunday morning on April 26. Her Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicle was found burned up about six miles east of Newport. She has apparently not been seen or heard from since that day.
Shults said each scoopful of dirt and garbage in the landfill was picked up by heavy equipment and shaken and checked for Maxwell's body.
"It looks like we'll complete this search today," Shults said.
He said weather conditions were hot, and that officials were working in a wide open area without shade, but with a breeze.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 16 Jun 2009.
Landfill search yields nothing in search for Megan Maxwell
Author: Nelson Morais
MORRISTOWN-The search of a landfill in Hamblen County on Saturday did not result in the discovery of the body of missing teenager Megan Maxwell.
"The search yielded no evidence connected to the Megan Maxwell investigation," wrote Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults in a press release.
Maxwell, 19, disappeared very early Sunday morning on April 26. Her Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicle was found burned up about six miles east of Newport. She has apparently not been seen or heard from since that morning.
A search team comprised of several nationally-certified human remains detection K-9's, five K-9 handlers and 13 investigators from several law enforcement agencies conducted the search of the TIDI Waste Landfill in the Lowland community of Hamblen County.
Employees of the landfill had secured a large area roughly 90 feet by 100 feet, with a depth of about zero to 10 feet, according to Chief Shults.
Investigators from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Cocke County Sheriff's Department, Newport Police Department, Hamblen County Sheriff's Department and the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn conducted the investigation.
Employees of the landfill utilized heavy equipment to excavate and separate the contents of the secured area in the landfill, according to the press release.
The nationally-certified K-9 teams made searches at intervals throughout the excavation, according to Shults.
Shults said, "I can't say enough about the cooperation and patience of (George and Patrick) McGuffin," the owner and president, respectively, of TIDI Waste Landfill, in their assistance with the planning and execution of the search. They have been great to work with."
Shults added, "We also want to thank Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnigan and his staff for their assistance and cooperation in coordinating and conducting this search."
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 25 Jun 2009.
Officials do more searches for Maxwell
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-Officers with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Cocke County Sheriff's Department, and Newport Police Department conducted two more searches on Wednesday for any clues to missing teenager Megan Maxwell's whereabouts.
The searches that took place "east of town," Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults said, "didn't yield anything."
They were conducted based on some "information" officers had received, but which the police chief downplayed as "not really a lead."
Shults said Wednesday's searches were conducted "right behind each other." He said he was present when they began, but did not stay for the entire length of the searches.
William Brownlow Marsh, Assistant District Attorney General, said Tuesday, "We're not at a standstill" in the investigation of the possible murder case.
Maxwell, 19, disappeared early Sunday morning on April 26, nearly two months ago. She apparently has not been heard from since.
Maxwell's Mitsubishi Eclipse was discovered burned up the morning she disappeared.
Asked if perhaps he thought Maxwell had run away and kept silent since then, Brownlow said, "That's always a possibility until we find her."
Meanwhile, all news media inquiries have been directed to Brownlow to handle, including those addressed to the lead investigator in the case, Detective Derrick Woods of the Cocke County Sheriff's Department.
"No one has reported seeing her, period," Brownlow said.
Talk of sightings of Maxwell "are just rumors, and no one has (even) fessed up to" take responsibility for starting them, he said.
Brownlow refused to comment on future investigative plans.
Shults said investigators were being mostly tight-lipped for a good reason. "We have to be careful because we don't want any potential defendants" to be tipped off by a news media report naming them as suspects, he said.
Brownlow asked citizens "to report any information no matter how small or unimportant they might think it is."
A search of a landfill in Hamblen County June 13 did not result in the discovery of Maxwell's body.
Several other searches, including some using concerned volunteers in the community, have apparently not turned up any clues.
Although some officials have previously referred to Jeffrey Lee Stock, 41, as a "person of interest" in Maxwell's disappearance, Brownlow would not confirm Stock as a suspect or "person of interest."
Stock is in federal custody after a federal grand jury indicted him for allegedly traveling in interstate commerce and failing to register as a sex offender.
Stock was arrested in Cocke County on April 27 at 3:40 a.m., the day after Maxwell disappeared, and charged with a violation of the sex offender registry, court records show. He was arrested by detective Woods.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 9 Jul 2009.
Balloon release slated for Maxwell
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-Balloons will be released Friday, July 10, in honor of Megan Maxwell, a 19-year-old teenager who disappeared in April.
The balloon release is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Cocke County Fairgrounds. Balloons and markers will be handed out for anyone wishing to write a message on a balloon before it is released.
Another search for Maxwell by volunteers will be conducted on Saturday, July 11, with the assistance of track dogs.
Maurice Shults, Newport Police Department Chief, said Wednesday that "nothing has changed" in the case.
"We're running out every lead" that could lead to Maxwell's whereabouts, he said.
Funds are being raised privately to pay for the use of a helicopter to search the area for Maxwell, which will reportedly cost $900 an hour.
A concert and Halo 3 tournament will be held Saturday, July 18, in a building in the Newport Town Center that used to house Goody's.
Jon Walton, youth pastor at Crossroads Community Church, said the idea for a fund-raising tournament came from youth in his church who were eager to contribute in some fashion to the ongoing search for Maxwell.
Registration begins at 10 a.m. The entry fee is $10 per person, and includes a free T-shirt.
Walton said because the tournament is rated "M" for mature audiences, anyone participating in the tournament who is less than 17 years old must bring a waiver signed by an adult. Teams of two people will be competing.
Walton said there will be refreshments to buy, including Sno-Cones, and an inflatable for young kids.
"There are a lot of cool prizes" that will be given out that day, said Gavilan Hill of Rent-A-Center, including a 26-inch TV, an Xbox game, meals to area restaurants, and even a vacation getaway package of three days and two nights at a cabin in Gatlinburg.
Gospel groups will perform that day, including the Pilgrim Heirs, Lost Mountain Sound, and several local church bands, organizers said.
There will be prizes for the top three tournament teams, and door prizes, according to promotional literature.
For more information about the tournament, contact Walton at (423) 613-8135.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 23 Jul 2009.
Benefit dinner for Megan Maxwell
Author: Kathy Hemsworth
NEWPORT–There will be a spaghetti dinner benefit for Megan Maxwell on Saturday, July 25, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Newport Grammar School.
Today marks the 89th day the 19-year-old Newport resident has been missing.
Maxwell had gone to her father's home in the early morning hours of April 26.
She called a friend at 4:27 that morning to say she was on her way home to her grandmother's house. She never got there.
Her red 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was found engulfed in flames off Highway 25-70 near old Riverside Truck Stop at about 6:30 that morning.
The benefit supper will include spaghetti, roll, drink and dessert for $6 per person. Meals in "to-go" boxes will be available.
All proceeds raised will be used to help find Maxwell. Organizers said, "All monies raised will be used for whatever resources that may be needed to help find Megan."
Family members said, "Thank you for your prayers and support during this time."
Numerous searches have taken place since Maxwell's disappearance.
Anyone with information about Maxwell's disappearance should call the Newport Police Department at (423) 623-5556 ext. 105 or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at (423) 623-1285.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 25 Jul 2009.
Search effort continues
A billboard seeking information about Meghan Maxwell, 19, who disappeared April 26,
has gone up on West Highway 25/70. Volunteer divers from Newport on Thursday
searched a section of the French Broad River near Bridgeport, but did not find Maxwell's
body in the low visibility water. Lisa Maxwell, Meghan's mother, said they chose that part
of the river to search after two track dogs trained for search and rescue showed
heightened interest in that area and a few others during searches conducted earlier
this month. Further searches in that section of the French Broad River are planned,
she said.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 24 Oct 2009.
Megan Maxwell, 19, is still missing
Megan Maxwell, left, was 18 years old when she posed for this photograph with her close friend, Hollie Lane. Both women had planned to spend the night together at Megan Maxwell's grandmother's house on the night in April that Maxwell disappeared. Maxwell turned 19 on March 25.
Newport-Tomorrow, Oct. 26, marks the sixth-month anniversary of the disappearance of Newport teenager Megan Maxwell, who is feared killed.
Megan Maxwell, 19, disappeared on an early Sunday morning,April 26. Her 2001 Mitsubishi was found burned later that morning.
Megan Maxwell, who lived with her grandmother, Judy O'Neil,at 859 Brookside Drive in Newport, was last heard from at 4:27 a.m. on that fateful Sunday morning.
Hollie Lane, a very close friend of Megan Maxwell, was to spend the night with her at the grandmother's house. While driving back to the house, she passed by the Mineral Street residence of Steve Maxwell, Megan Maxwell's father, saw police were there, and called to inform Megan Maxwell, who had gone to bed. It was sometime between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Megan Maxwell went to her father's house
Megan Maxwell readied herself, got in her Mitsubishi Eclipse and left to drive to her father's house, located in front of Union Cemetery,around the time Lane was arriving to Megan Maxwell's and her grandmother's home. They talked briefly in the driveway before Megan Maxwell drove away to her father's house.
Lane said Megan Maxwell called her at 4:27 a.m. and told her"everything was fine and that she was going to smoke a cigarette and would be right home," according to a Cocke County Sheriff's Department report at the time.
Megan Maxwell never returned home
Megan Maxwell never made it home.
Her mother later stated that she spoke with her ex-husband,Steve Maxwell, and that he told her he had been drinking and remembered their daughter being at his residence, but did not remember her leaving.
When asked last week if Jeffrey Lee Stock, 41, who was at Megan's father's house when she was last heard from that Sunday morning, had been questioned about Megan's disappearance, District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn paused for about a minute, then said, "Next question." He added, "I'd just rather not answer that question."
Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults was less evasive. He said last week, "Obviously ... we'd like to know his (Stock's) whereabouts from4:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. (on April 26), prior to her (Megan Maxwell's)disappearance."
Megan Maxwell's vehicle found burning
Patrolman Derek Wright was apparently on his way home when he saw Megan Maxwell's Mitsubishi fully engulfed in flames, near the old Riverside Truck Stop east of Newport.
Shults said every forensic lab and pathologist in Tennessee has been given data about Megan Maxwell in case an unidentified body shows up somewhere in the state. She is in several other databases, as well, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, he added.
An arrest on an unrelated charge
Cocke County Sheriff's Department Detective Derrick Woods arrested Stock, at 3:40 a.m., on Monday, April 27, almost 24 hours after Megan Maxwell was last heard from, for violating the Sex Offender Registry.
Stock was charged with failing to register with the Cocke County Sheriff's Department as required to do so annually on or about his birthday, which is April 7. That is a violation of the Sex Offender Registry.He has since been held without bond.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Stock violated the federal"Adam Walsh Act" by being a convicted sex offender who traveled from Florida to Tennessee and failed to register with authorities here.
Stock, when he was 29 and living in Indiana, was charged with battering and raping two Indianapolis girls, ages 16 and 17, in a rural county. At some point during the carjacking, Stock allegedly produced a box knife with a razor blade in it, then threatened, beat and attacked the girls. He pleaded guilty to sexual battery.
In 2009, Stock has been in federal custody since he was indicted June 9 on charges of traveling in interstate commerce and failing to register as a sex offender.
Family remembers Megan Maxwell
Lisa Maxwell described Megan as "always happy and always smiling, with a joke to tell you.
"She was really involved with cheer leading at Edgemont Elementary School and played tennis three years at Cocke County High School,"Lisa Maxwell recalled. "She was always a happy girl. She didn't like conflict of any kind and would let people walk all over her."
Megan quit CCHS when she was a junior, but had returned to Newport and taken day classes to study for her GED exam. She was scheduled to take a GED test on the Thursday following her disappearance, and planned to graduate soon thereafter with her former classmates in the Class of 2009.
"She was real excited about taking the GED test that week,"O'Neil recalled.
Not knowing is the hardest part
Both Megan Maxwell's mother and grandmother said the longer the time increases since Megan's disappearance without knowing her whereabouts,the harder it has been to cope with the loss.
"I know I'm not going to get good news at this point," Lisa Maxwell conceded. She added, "It gets rougher each day. It's a weight on you.I'm not getting much sleep."
Lisa Maxwell also said, "I have a 16-year-old daughter(Megan's sister) I have to be strong for. She's having a rough time. It's just now sinking in (for her) that" Megan is gone.
Lisa Maxwell said her mother, Judy O'Neil, "is my rock.We've always been really close."
When asked how the community can help her, Lisa Maxwell said,"Prayer is number one." She also asked concerned people to "call (us) and think about us."
Newport Police Chief Shults said, "We feel for Lisa(Maxwell) every day, not having any closure."
O'Neil, Megan Maxwell's grandmother, said Megan moved to Morristown after she quit high school, returned to Newport for two or three months, where she stayed with O'Neil, then went to Indiana about two or three months with her boyfriend before returning to Newport.
Megan Maxwell had again been living with her grandmother,this time for about six months, up to the day she disappeared.
Megan Maxwell was a 'fun-loving girl'
"Megan was a fun-loving girl. She never met a stranger. She liked people, was outgoing, and made friends easily," O'Neil recalled. She added, "She was not quick to get mad at people. She didn't hold a grudge. She just enjoyed life."
O'Neil said she last saw Megan Maxwell at 11 p.m. on the night before she disappeared. Megan's friend Lane was also there in O'Neil's home, and planned to spend the night there. Then, said O'Neil, Lane got a phone call from her boyfriend who was getting off work and needed a ride.
Lane and Megan Maxwell drove in separate cars, picked up Lane's boyfriend at his job, and went to Lane's dad's home, where Megan Maxwell, Lane, Lane's boyfriend, and possibly Lane's father, watched movies.
Close friend saw police
After that, Lane drove her boyfriend home, and was on her way back to O'Neil's home when she noticed the police outside Megan Maxwell's father's house and called to alert Megan who had already arrived home in her own car and then gone to bed.
O'Neil recalled on Friday that she, Megan Maxwell, Lane, and Megan's great-grandmother were planning ongoing to Lisa Maxwell's house in Morristown for a cookout on that Sunday she disappeared.
Like her daughter, Lisa, O'Neil said coping with the uncertainty about Megan Maxwell's fate "is terrible." She also said of multiple searches for the 19-year-old's body, "It doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere."
She said, "It's just really hard."
Mother experiences 'rough days'
Lisa Maxwell also said, "I have my rough days."
After working tirelessly to find her daughter for three months after she disappeared, Lisa Maxwell returned to her job on Aug. 1 as a Head Start teacher's aide at Cosby Head Start, where she has worked for 11years.
"The first month was horrible," Lisa Maxwell said of returning to her job. "I felt so guilty being at work – I thought I should be out there searching for her (Megan)." However, she also added, "The kids are a good distraction."
Searchers have looked for Megan Maxwell's body in the French Broad and Pigeon rivers, a rock quarry, a landfill, Bluff Road and Bridgeport Bridge along the French Broad River, and many other areas.
"We have been everywhere, from one end of this county to the other end," O'Neil said Saturday. Some searches for Megan Maxwell's body have been conducted by law enforcement officials and Community United Effort, based in North Carolina. Most searches, however, have been organized on a volunteer basis and coordinated by Hollie Lane's father, Randy Lane. There have been a candlelight vigil, several fund raisers, and a very well-attended "love chain"event near the West End Food City in town.
Lamar rented out at a steep discount a billboard they own on West Highway 25/70 with Megan Maxwell's photograph and phone numbers to call in tips.
O'Neil said she and Lisa Maxwell were very grateful that, in addition to that billboard, Lamar put up, at no charge, two more billboards,including one on Interstate 40 between Sevierville and Knoxville.
Helium-filled balloons released in memory
One afternoon, friends released helium-filled balloons from the center part of the county fairgrounds.
Megan Maxwell's mother and grandmother continue to seek ways to keep Megan Maxwell, and the search for her, in the public eye.
"Det. (Derrick) Woods (of the Newport Police Department) has helped a whole bunch," Lisa Maxwell said.
Leads continue to come in on a weekly, sometimes daily,basis, according to Jimmy Dunn, District Attorney General.
He said Wednesday, "There are so many avenues to check on.I'm confident we will be successful in finding her body."
However, he also said many times investigators have had their hopes raised when given information about Lisa Maxwell's whereabouts, but then the leads did not pan out.
Running down leads to try and find Megan
"We're still running down every lead, re-interviewing people," Dunn said.
Megan Maxwell's family is planning to have another candlelight vigil for her soon, and hope to conduct another search soon.
The family continues to have open a fund called "The Megan Maxwell Fund" at Newport Federal Savings.
"The money goes to anything to do with finding Megan –searches, and food and hotel rooms for the searchers, etc.," Lisa Maxwell said.
Megan Maxwell was last seen wearing a green hoodie, bluejeans with large holes in them, and Hollister flip flops, according to her mother, Lisa Maxwell.
Megan Maxwell's grandmother said, "We miss her so much everyday. Every day continues like the first day. We're not going to stop until we find Megan and get justice for her."
Mother had hoped to talk to Stock
Lisa Maxwell said that on Wednesday, Oct. 21, after debating with herself whether she should go, she had set up an appointment for that day to talk to Stock, who was incarcerated in Murfreesboro. She said that two weeks earlier, a message had been relayed from Stock to her that he wanted to talk to her.
She said, without specifying, that she decided to meet Stock"to get some things off my chest," rather than to hear what he had to say.
However, when she arrived at the jail on Wednesday to sign in, she learned U.S. marshals had whisked him away to another, undisclosed jail.
"Maybe that was a good thing," Lisa Maxwell said Thursday. She added, "It apparently wasn't meant to be."
Stock also wrote to this reporter several weeks ago to request he be interviewed. The Newport Plain Talk declined the offer.
Stock to be sentenced Feb. 1, 2010
Stock is scheduled to be sentenced for not registering as a sex offender on Feb. 1, 2010.
Anyone with information about Megan Maxwell's disappearance and whereabouts can call the Newport Police Department at (423) 623-5556, or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at (423) 623-1285.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 24 Apr 2010.
Family to mark one-year anniversary of Megan Maxwell's disappearance
©2010 NPT PHOTO BY NELSON MORAIS
Family members of Megan Maxwell, who disappeared one year ago, attended a reception for crime victims and their families last week. Shown left to right, are: Lisa Maxwell, Megan’s mother; Judy O’Neil, Megan’s grandmother; and Stephanie Maxwell, 17, Megan’s sister. Their T-shirts have a photograph of Megan and the words, “We Want Megan” and “Have you seen Megan?”
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-Tomorrow, April 26, will mark the one-year anniversary of the day that Newport teenager Megan Maxwell disappeared.
Megan Maxwell, 19, disappeared last year on an early Sunday morning, on April 26. Her 2001 Mitsubishi was found burned later that morning.
Her mother, Lisa Maxwell; sister, Stephanie; and grandmother, Judy O'Neil, will mark the solemn anniversary by planting a Bradford Pear tree in memory of Megan, in the front yard of O'Neil's home at 859 Brookside Drive in Newport. Megan lived with her grandmother several months prior to disappearing.
Mother dreading one-year anniversary
Megan Maxwell's mother, Lisa Maxwell, said Friday she feels "awful" about, and is "really, really dreading," the arrival of Monday and the one-year anniversary.
Lisa Maxwell flew to South Carolina on Saturday, April 24, to comfort the family of Britanee Drixille, who disappeared in Myrtle Beach on almost the same day last year that Megan Maxwell did. Megan and Britanee were also the same age at the time they disappeared, according to Lisa Maxwell.
"We're going to rally for Britanee, Megan, and others, with banners, posters, and a walk," Lisa Maxwell said.
Lisa Maxwell said of her trip to Myrtle Beach that she plans to comfort others, and hopefully be comforted herself in return.
"There are no words to describe" what she is going through because of Megan Maxwell's disappearance, Lisa Maxwell said.
She said people are simply incapable of understanding what she has gone through, and is going through, unless they have experienced a similar tragedy in their lives.
"I'm hoping it (the trip) will help Lisa to go and talk to some people in the same situation we are in," O'Neil said.
Grandmother describes 'long, rough year'
"It's been a long, rough year," O'Neil recalled. She added, "We never dreamed when she disappeared that it would be a year and we still hadn't found her."
Lisa Maxwell said, 'I'm trying to be as positive as I can, but dreading it (the one-year anniversary). I can't believe it's been this long. It seems like it's been 10 years to me" that her daughter has been gone.
When asked if the longer Megan Maxwell is missing, the harder it becomes on her emotionally, Lisa Maxwell answered "yes".
Lisa Maxwell said there will more searches for Megan Maxwell's body, and more candlelight vigils once Lisa is off for the summer from her job at Douglas Cherokee Head Start.
No helpful leads so far
Of the past year's attempts to find Megan, Lisa Maxwell said, "We thought if we could find some clothes (of Megan's) -- but we haven't found anything."
Lisa Maxwell also said, "We're just going to keep on" searching for Megan Maxwell, possibly conducting more searches of areas that were searched last year. "You never know. We may have overlooked something," she said.
Megan Maxwell was last heard from at 4:27 a.m. on that fateful Sunday morning.
Hollie Lane, a very close friend of Megan Maxwell, was to spend the night with her at the house of Megan Maxwell's grandmother. While driving back to the house, she passed by the Mineral Street residence of Steve Maxwell, Megan Maxwell's father, saw police were there, and called to inform Megan Maxwell, who had gone to bed. It was sometime between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Megan Maxwell readied herself, got in her Mitsubishi Eclipse, and was about to drive to her father's house, located in front of Union Cemetery, around the time Lane arrived to Megan Maxwell's and her grandmother's home.
Megan drove to her father's house
The two talked briefly in the driveway before Megan Maxwell drove away to her father's house.
Lane said Megan Maxwell called her at 4:27 a.m. and told her "everything was fine and that she was going to smoke a cigarette and would be right home," according to a report with the Cocke County Sheriff's Department.
Megan Maxwell never made it home.
Her mother later stated that she spoke with her ex-husband, Steve Maxwell, and that he told her he had been drinking and remembered their daughter being at his residence, but did not remember her leaving.
Law enforcement officials keep quiet
Law enforcement officials are understandably reluctant to discuss any possible connection between Megan Maxwell's disappearance and Jeffrey Lee Stock, 42, of Del Rio, who was at Megan Maxwell's father's house when she was last heard from that Sunday morning.
Stock has officially been labeled by law enforcement officials as simply "a person of interest," but not a suspect, in the case.
Cocke County Sheriff's Department Detective Derrick Woods arrested Stock, at 3:40 a.m., on Monday, April 27, almost 24 hours after Megan Maxwell was last heard from, for violating the Sex Offender Registry.
Stock was charged with failing to register with the Cocke County Sheriff's Department as required to do so annually on or about his birthday, which is April 7. That is a violation of the Sex Offender Registry.
Stock plead guilty on Sept. 21, 2009, to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with being a convicted sex offender who traveled in interstate commerce without registering.
Jeffrey Stock sentenced on unrelated charge
Last month, Stock was sentenced on that charge to six years in prison by Judge Ronnie Greer, United States District Court Judge, in federal court in Greeneville.
Stock, who has been in federal custody since June 18, 2009, was also ordered to remain on federal supervised release for the remainder of his life.
Lisa Maxwell said she thinks it is very possible that no one other than Stock knows what happened to Megan Maxwell.
Lisa Maxwell said there was a time she wanted to talk to Stock, but not any more. "It would just tear me up" to talk to him, she said.
Even so, Lisa Maxwell said, "Anytime he (Stock) is in a courtroom, I'll be there."
Stock has not been charged in connection with Megan Maxwell's disappearance.
Mother remembers Megan as 'happy'
Lisa Maxwell has described Megan Maxwell as "always happy and always smiling, with a joke to tell you."
Megan Maxwell was "really involved" with cheerleading at Edgemont Elementary School and played tennis three years at Cocke County High School, Lisa Maxwell recalled.
Megan Maxwell said, "She was always a happy girl. She didn't like conflict of any kind and would let people walk all over her."
Megan Maxwell quit CCHS when she was a junior, but had returned to Newport and taken day classes to study for her GED exam. Her mother said she was scheduled to take a GED exam on the Thursday following her disappearance, and planned to graduate soon thereafter with her former classmates in the Class of 2009.
O'Neil, Megan Maxwell's grandmother, said Megan moved to Morristown after she quit high school, returned to Newport for two or three months, where she stayed with O'Neil, then went to Indiana about two or three months with her boyfriend before returning to Newport.
Megan Maxwell had again been living with her grandmother, this time for about six months, up to the day she disappeared.
Investigation continues
District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn said Friday afternoon "even as we speak, investigators are working on that particular case," referring to Megan Maxwell's disappearance.
Leads have come in and not panned out, but Dunn said his office, Det. Derrick Woods, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continue to diligently work on the case.
"We just keep plugging away," Dunn said.
Det. Woods said Friday, "We are continuously (and) aggressively investigating the case" of Megan Maxwell's disappearance. He said he could not provide any further details than what has already been disseminated.
Anyone with information about Megan Maxwell's disappearance and whereabouts can call the Newport Police Department at (423) 623-5556, or the office of District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn at (423) 623-1285.
Lisa Maxwell said Friday, "Megan was a sociable, happy kid who knew no strangers. I can't think of one person who would hurt her. She has so many friends," including people much older than her.
O'Neil said of Megan Maxwell's family, "We're just looking for closure. We do that every day."
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 12 Nov 2010.
Funeral arrangements made for murder victim Megan Maxwell
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-A funeral service to celebrate the life of Megan Maxwell, 19, who was murdered in April 2009, will be held Saturday, Nov. 20, at Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church.
The service, open to the community, will start at 8 p.m. the Rev. Rick Clevenger is officiating.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m., prior to the service, also at Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church.
Internment will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21, at Resthaven Memorial Gardens.
The remains of Maxwell will be returned to the family on Monday, Nov. 15, from Knoxville, where forensic evidence was collected. Maxwell's body was discovered in a rural area about 12 miles east of Newport, in Cocke County, on Nov. 4.
For more details, please see the latest edition of the Newport Plain Talk.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 3 Nov 2011.
Stock charged with first-degree murder of Maxwell
A press conference to announce two people charged with the disappearance of Megan Maxwell, 19, in April 2009, included, from left to right: Judy O'Neil, Megan's grandmother; Lisa Maxwell, Megan's mother; Cocke County Sheriff
Armando Fontes; Derrick Woods, lead investigator in the murder case; Stephanie Maxwell, Megan's sister; and Hollie Lane, Megan's longtime best friend.
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-A son and father are now facing charges in the death of Megan Maxwell.
Jeffery Lee Stock, 43, long considered a "person of interest" in the case has been indicted by the Cocke County Grand Jury and charged with felony murder (first-degree murder), rape, theft of property over $1,000, and arson in connection with the murder of Maxwell, a 19-year-old who disappeared April 26, 2009.
His father, Terry Stock, 64, a former Del Rio resident, was arrested in Indiana on Tuesday, Nov. 1, by U.S. Marshals and charged with accessory after the fact of first-degree murder.
Derrick Woods, administrative captain and lead investigator in the case, said at a press conference on Wednesday that he presented evidence to the Grand Jury on Monday, Oct. 31, and they returned the indictments.
The remains of Maxwell's body were found almost one year ago, on Nov. 4, 2010, in a remote wooded area in Cocke County.
In the pre-dawn morning of April 26, 2009, Maxwell was checking up on the welfare of her father Steve Maxwell, at his residence. Jeffery Stock, allegedly a friend of Steve Maxwell's, was reportedly at that same residence about the time Maxwell disappeared.
Her Mitsubishi was discovered burning later that morning, and a vast search was undertaken to find her body, including searches by concerned citizens in the community, until it was found 18 months later by a man walking his dog.
Jeffery Stock is currently serving a 72-month sentence in a Tucson, Ariz. federal penitentiary for failing to register as a sex offender when he moved to Cocke County. He was arrested at his home less than 24 hours after Maxwell disappeared.
For more details, please see the latest edition of the Newport Plain Talk.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 5 Nov 2010.
Remains are Maxwell's: Sheriff's Office confirms identity at press conference
Investigators with the Cocke County Sheriff's Department confirmed at a press conference on Friday that the remains of a body found Thursday by a man walking his dog, off Ponderosa Road, in a remote, wooded area in the Long Creek Community, about 15 miles east of Newport, were those of Megan Maxwell, 19, who disappeared April 26, 2009. Det. Derrick Woods said, "We now know we're working a homicide and not a missing person" case.
Author: Nelson Morais
NEWPORT-Det. Derrick Woods of the Cocke County Sheriff's Department confirmed Friday that the skeletal remains of a person found in a rural, wooded area 12 miles east of Newport, in Cocke County, are those of missing teenager Megan Maxwell, 19.
Maxwell disappeared 19 months ago. Her Mitsubishi was found burning on April 26, 2009, the morning she was last heard from, near an abandoned building on Highway East 25/70, near the old Riverside Truck Stop.
A man walking his dog found the human remains Thursday morning off Ponderosa Road, a single rain-soaked lane of gravel and dirt, about five miles from where Maxwell's vehicle was found.
For more details, please see the latest edition of the Newport Plain Talk.
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 6 Nov 2010.
Officials: Remains are those of missing teen
By Jim Balloch
NEWPORT - On U.S. Highway 25/70, just west of town, the big billboard with Megan Maxwell's face is starting to fade. The top left-hand corner is peeling.
But Megan's wide smile is as radiant as ever.
And this community may be one step closer to knowing the answer to the question posted on that billboard: "What Happened To Megan Maxwell?"
Friday afternoon, law enforcement authorities announced that human remains found Thursday are those of the young woman who has been missing for nearly two years.
"We are now working this case as a homicide, not a missing person," said Detective Derrick Woods of the Cocke County Sheriff's Office. That agency is one of several that have teamed up to work the case, first to find Maxwell, and now to find her killer or killers.
Arm in arm, their faces stoic, Maxwell's mother Lisa Maxwell and grandmother Judy O'Neil stood with silent but obvious anguish as the lawmen made the grim announcement to a throng of reporters inside the Cocke County Courthouse. Both have previously said they expected a day like this would come.
Lisa Maxwell wore a sweatshirt and a button bearing a likeness of her daughter. She said she felt a mixture of relief and sadness.
"I am relieved that we have found her," she said after the press conference. "Not knowing where Megan was, or what had happened to her, that was just plain pure torture."
"As hard as this is to face, we are kind of relieved to find her," O'Neil said. "Now, at last, we can bring her home."
Megan Maxwell was 19 and living with her grandmother when she disappeared in the early morning hours of April 26, 2009. She had been away to check on her father at his home. From there, she telephoned a friend and said she was going to return home.
But about 90 minutes later, an off-duty Newport police officer noticed her Mitsubishi sports car on Highway 25/70, close to the river's edge and engulfed in flames.
Foul play was immediately suspected. The police and sheriff's department began working the case together and were soon joined by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol and a variety of other agencies and departments.
The remains found Thursday were 5.2 miles from where her car was found. They included a skull, other skeletal remains and some clothing. Authorities said she was "identified forensically" but did not elaborate.
They also would not say how she died or if any forensic evidence that would be useful at a trial was found on or around the body.
But after the press conference, Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes said: "We are well on our way. We are just being careful and meticulous. We do have a suspect."
Fontes would not say if that suspect is a man whom investigators earlier called everything but a suspect - convicted sex offender Jeffrey Lee Stock of Del Rio. He is currently serving a 72-month federal prison term for failing to register as a sex offender with the TBI when he moved back to his parents' Del Rio home from Indiana in August 2008.
Records in that case show Stock was a successful stock car driver in Tennessee in the early 1990s before he became addicted to cocaine, according to criminal defense attorney Clifton Corker. Stock has since racked up a criminal history in three states, including sexual battery convictions in Indiana in 1998 that resulted in a four-year prison term there and a lifetime requirement that he register as a sex offender in whatever state he resides.
The allegations against Stock in that Indiana case, as outlined by Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Smith, may offer a clue as to why authorities zeroed in on Stock as a person of interest in Megan Maxwell's disappearance.
"(Stock allegedly) … jumped into the backseat of a car occupied by two nineteen-year-old girls, held a knife to their throats, forced them to drive to a remote wooded area in Indiana where he engaged both of them in different types of forcible sexual activity including oral and vaginal intercourse and imposed great physical and emotional trauma on both victims," she wrote.
Corker insisted DNA evidence cleared Stock, but he took a plea deal anyway.
When Stock moved to Tennessee, he did not register as a sex offender until he was arrested in October 2008 by Knoxville authorities on misdemeanor charges unrelated to the registry. Despite his failure to register with the TBI or notify Indiana officials of his move here, Stock wasn't indicted federally until June 2009 - after he had been labeled a suspect in Maxwell's disappearance.
Authorities have also said it is possible that two persons were involved in the her disappearance.
Maxwell's disappearance was featured in the News Sentinel's continuing series on such cases, "Mysteries of the Missing." The case drew a lot of other media attention in East Tennessee. Her family and friends, refusing to give up hope of finding her, staged several rallies and events to keep the case before the public.
"I just want my sister to be remembered," said her sister, Stephanie Maxwell, 17. "And I want justice. But I know that may take a while."
Jim Balloch may be reached at 865-342-6315.
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 4 Nov 2010.
(March 24, 1990 - November 4, 2010)
Megan Nicole Maxwell, age 19 was taken from her family and friends on April 26, 2009. She is survived by her mother, Lisa Maxwell; sister, Stephanie Maxwell; father, Steven Maxwell; half brother; Cedric Ryan; grandparents, Ernest and Cartsie Maxwell; grandmother, Judy O’Neil all of Newport; and great grandmother, Dorothy Bewley; also several great aunts, uncles and her very special friend, Hollie Lane. A funeral service to celebrate the life of Megan will be held 8 p.m. Saturday Nov. 20, 2010 at Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church with Rev. Rick Clevenger officiating. The family will receive friends from 5-8 p.m. Saturday prior to the services. Interment will be 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 21, 2010 in Resthaven Memorial Gardens. Because of her love for animals in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Newport Animal Shelter,420 Humane Way, Newport, TN 37821.
For more information about Megan go to: Helpfindmeganmaxwell.com
Manes Funeral Home is in charge.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 23 Nov 2010.
Megan Maxwell laid to rest
(c)2010 NPT PHOTO BY RICK HOOPER
Family and friends follow as Megan Maxwell's casket is carried to its burial site. Immediately behind the pallbearers are mother Lisa Maxwell and her boyfriend Michael Brady.
Author: Rick Hooper
NEWPORT-Surrounded by dozens of family members and friends, Megan Maxwell was laid to rest Sunday in Resthaven Memorial Gardens.
The ceremony, along with funeral services Saturday evening in Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church, brings to a close another chapter in a tragic ordeal that has touched the region for the past 19 months. While the burial ceremony brings some closure, Maxwell's family members say they will not have full closure until Megan's killer is brought to justice.
"There's a lot of comfort in knowing we got her home," said Lisa Maxwell, Megan's mother. "She had a proper funeral, which is what she deserved. No one wants to bury their child."
For more details, please see the latest edition of the Newport Plain Talk.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 10 May 2012.
More information about Maxwell killing revealed during Stock hearing Wednesday
First-degree murder defendant Jeffery Lee Stock, at right, consulted closely with
Assistant District Public Defender Keith Haas during a pre-trial hearing on
Wednesday. Stock is accused of first-degree murder, rape, theft of property
valued at more than $1,000, and arson in connection with the death of Cocke
County resident Megan Maxwell sometime between April 2009 and November 2010.
Author: Gilbert Soesbee
NEWPORT-The killing of 19-year-old Megan Maxwell may have been a way of concealing a rape, a prosecutor told the court during a hearing on Wednesday.
More detailed information about the Maxwell murder was revealed during Wednesday's hearing as attorneys argued about whether the state has provided enough specific information about the case to defense lawyers, what witnesses will be called, and other pre-trial issues.
Stock is scheduled to go to trial this summer on charges of murder, rape, arson, and theft in connection with Maxwell's death.
After a highly publicized 18-month search, which began shortly after the victim was last seen in April 2009, Maxwell's remains were found in Cocke County in November 2010. Stock was quickly identified as "a person of interest" in the case, and was formally indicted by the Cocke County Grand Jury in January.
In addition to the charges against Jeffery Stock, his 64-year-old father, Terry Stock, is also facing charges in connection with the case. Terry Stock is charged with being an accessory after the fact of first-degree murder.
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