WHITWELL, TN – A 56-year-old man faces felony charges in Marion County after authorities discovered the remains of his deceased father, who investigators believe was hidden and burned in a remote area along Mullins Cove earlier this month.
Richard Keith Wilder was arrested last week and charged with abuse of a corpse, a Class E felony under Tennessee law that carries a potential prison sentence of up to six years and a maximum $3,000 fine. Officials have not revealed the circumstances surrounding the father’s death, which is still under investigation.
According to investigators, detectives with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office began to suspect Wilder’s involvement after gathering crucial information related to the case. Working in coordination with the district attorney’s office, detectives traveled to Mullins Cove, a sparsely populated road near the border with Alabama and Georgia, where they found human remains in a fire pit.
Authorities collected the remains and sent them to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Nashville to formally confirm the identity. Preliminary results from the examination are anticipated within days.
The investigation drew assistance from multiple agencies, including the neighboring Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, which helped recover the body at the scene. The 12th Judicial District Drug and Violent Crime Task Force also participated in the operation.
Detectives executed the arrest on August 14, taking Wilder into custody at his residence in Whitwell, located about 20 miles north of the site where the remains were found. He was transported to the Marion County Justice Center, where he is being held ahead of a scheduled General Sessions Court appearance on August 20.
Officials have withheld further details about the ongoing investigation. However, Marion County Sheriff Ronnie Burnett said the inquiry into the father’s whereabouts began in 2024.
Authorities believe Wilder’s father died last December. Investigators allege that Wilder moved the body to the secluded Mullins Cove area and attempted to dispose of it by burning.
The case has left residents in the region seeking answers, though law enforcement has urged patience as the medical examiner works to confirm the identity and determine how the father died.
No new information is expected to be released until the investigation progresses further, according to the sheriff’s office.