Jasmine Pace Chattanooga, TN missing woman body found, a day after her college student boyfriend, Jason Chen charged with her murder.
A missing 22-year-old Tennessee college student was found dead Thursday — a day after her boyfriend was charged with her murder upon bloody evidence being found at the man’s home.
The body of Jasmine Pace was found along Suck Creek Road in Chattanooga a week after she was captured on surveillance video leaving her mother’s home on Nov. 22, Local 3 News reported.
Jasmine was reported missing on Nov. 26, after her parents said they had not seen her since Nov. 22. She had been expected to appear for Thanksgiving dinner, only to never show up.
Police found Pace’s remains a day after her boyfriend, University of Tennessee Chattanooga student Jason Chen, was charged with murder, following a search of the man’s apartment led to the discovery of incriminating evidence News Channel 9 reported.
The boyfriend was booked with first degree murder, following a search of the man’s apartment yesterday, when police found blood stains in the living room, bathroom, and bedroom.
Incriminating evidence
Cops also found broken glass and other evidence that suggested that a violent altercation had taken place according to a criminal affidavit.
Chen had recently bought cleaning supplies that were apparently used to scrub some of the evidence, according to police.
Jasmine’s mother, Catrina Pace, told police her daughter shared her cell phone location via pin drop with her on Nov. 23. The location led the mom and her husband to Chen’s apartment, where they spoke with neighbors who said they heard a disturbance, the court documents state, per the outlet.
The apartment was empty but the mother found Jasmine’s driver’s license and credit cards, according to the document, which said a neighbor told her there was a loud disturbance at about 2 a.m. that day.
Police did not locate Chen that day but returned on Nov. 27 with a warrant and discovered the blood strewn evidence.
The following day, police obtained surveillance footage from the complex showing the suspect leaving the property while wearing a mask and a black cloth wrapped around his hand, News Channel 9 said.
They used the MyChevyApp to track the vehicle to the home of Chen’s family in Nolensville, about two hours northwest of Chattanooga, where they took him into custody on Tuesday, officials said.
‘Justice will prevail…’
The suspect had lacerations on his hand, according to the affidavit cited by News Channel 9.
On Wednesday, he was charged with first-degree murder.
‘Our hearts are with Jasmine’s family tonight as they deal with unimaginably difficult news. We are grateful that thanks to the hard work of the Chattanooga Police Department she may now be laid to rest surrounded by the friends and family that so deeply loved her,’ Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said in a statement to Local 3 News.
‘The State of Tennessee is focused on prosecuting Jason Chen to the fullest extent of the law. In this case, justice will prevail,’ he added.
A spokesperson for the University of Tennessee Chattanooga told News Channel 9 in a statement that the school ‘is actively monitoring a situation involving one of our students, Jason Chen.
‘We are cooperating with law enforcement authorities regarding this matter and will continue to do so. We are unable to provide additional information due to student privacy laws,’ the rep added.
Outpouring of love
Catrina thanked the community for its support during the search for her daughter.
‘The outpouring of true love and support from the community this past week has meant more than I can explain. I ask that our community and everyone that has been affected by this horrific event, everyone that has a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, can sympathize with what we are being forced to process,’ the mother wrote on Facebook.
Chen who remains held with no bond is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 6.
No known immediate motive for the woman’s murder was immediately known.
