In the quiet town of Erwin, Tennessee, the life of 21-year-old Stacie Lynn Brugger was tragically cut short in early February 2022. A creative soul with a passion for drawing and tattoo artistry, Stacie was remembered by her family as a vibrant, smart, kind, and loving individual. She worked at the ACT Call Center in Kingsport and was a cherished daughter, sister, and aunt.
Her unexpected death sent ripples of grief and shock through her community and left her family searching for answers.
Stacie's body was discovered at the Nolichucky Gorge Campground in Unicoi County. The investigation into her death quickly focused on 29-year-old Tyler Owens, with whom she had been staying for a few months. While they were in a relationship, her family indicated it was not a serious one, and that Stacie did not even know his real name, referring to him as 'Jordan.' The Unicoi County Sheriff's Office announced that Owens had confessed to shooting Brugger.
According to Owens's statement to investigators, the shooting was an accident that occurred during an altercation. He claimed that during an argument, Brugger grabbed his gun, loaded it, and held it to her own head before it discharged. However, his actions following her death cast a dark shadow of doubt on his claims of an accident. Instead of seeking help, Owens allegedly wrapped Stacie's body in a tent, placed her in the trunk of her own car, and then went out to party with friends. He also admitted to texting her phone after she was deceased. This behavior, her family stated, was not indicative of remorse.
Tyler Owens was arrested and faced a litany of charges, including second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and evading arrest. During his initial court appearance, he was visibly emotional, sobbing throughout the arraignment. For Stacie's grieving family, his tears offered no comfort. Her sister, Marissa, expressed the family's profound loss and anger, stating that Owens would spend the rest of his life regretting his actions. The family's pain was compounded by the shocking details of how Stacie's body was treated after her death. They knew something was wrong when she failed to show up for a planned family gender reveal.
As the legal proceedings against Tyler Owens commenced, the full picture of the tragic events that transpired in a camper in 2022 began to unfold in a Unicoi County courtroom. Owens explained his failure to call 911 by citing outstanding warrants in North Carolina. The trial, which included the playing of a lengthy audio recording of his police interview, continued to bring the heartbreaking details of Stacie Lynn Brugger's final moments and the subsequent callous handling of her body into the public eye.
