Tina Walkingstick Frizsell, a 42-year-old woman from Mountain City, Georgia, was reported missing by her family in May 2022. Her remains were later identified through DNA evidence in a homicide investigation. Frizsell's body was found in an encampment off Mulberry Road in Macon County, North Carolina. The Macon County Sheriff's Office confirmed that she had been shot and killed elsewhere in the county before her body was moved to the encampment, where it was desecrated in a burn pit. The crime scene was described as very difficult and tedious, with investigators working through the night to recover as many remains as possible.
Christopher Shields, a 44-year-old man from Otto, North Carolina, was identified as the prime suspect in Frizsell's murder. Shields was initially charged with kidnapping but later faced additional charges, including first-degree murder, destroying human remains, felony conspiracy to commit murder, concealing a death, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Macon County District Attorney, Ashley Welch, announced that she would seek the death penalty against Shields.
Three other individuals, Derek McCrackin, Jessica Smith, and Lenoka Wilson, were also arrested in connection with Frizsell's death. They faced charges related to the desecration of a corpse and conspiracy to commit murder. Administrative hearings for these co-defendants were held in Macon County Superior Court, where Shields' attorneys requested a transfer for their client due to difficulties in representing him from a distance. However, the court reissued a "Safe Keeping" order, and Shields remained in Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Frizsell's family played a crucial role in the investigation by providing DNA samples that helped identify her remains. The investigation revealed that Frizsell was shot in a shed on South Tryphosa Road near the border of Rabun County before her body was moved to the encampment off Mulberry Road. The case against Shields and the other defendants is ongoing, with Shields facing the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.
