In the quiet community of Jacks Creek, Tennessee, the weekend of March 29th and 30th, 2014, was marked by a grim sequence of events that left two family members dead. The unfolding tragedy began on a Saturday afternoon when deputies from the Chester County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to a residence on Highway 22A South. Inside, they discovered the body of 71-year-old Martha J. Crowe.
The scene indicated that her death was the result of a homicide, prompting the involvement of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at the request of the District Attorney General.
As investigators began to piece together the circumstances of Crowe's death, speaking with family, friends, and neighbors, a person of interest emerged: her 26-year-old second cousin, Alex Schewe, a male who lived just across the road at 215 Highway 22A South. Schewe had been present at his cousin's home when the sheriff arrived at the scene of her murder.
The investigation took another dark turn on Sunday, March 30th. Around 1:00 PM, sheriff's deputies went to Alex Schewe's home with the intention of conducting an interview. When they arrived, they were unable to make contact with him. Shortly thereafter, they made a second tragic discovery in as many days: Alex Schewe was deceased inside his home. His death was the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was ruled a suicide.
In the days that followed, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that evidence collected from Martha Crowe's home by the Violent Crime Response Team definitively linked Alex Schewe to her murder. While the investigation into Schewe's death was concluded, the probe into Crowe's homicide remained open to determine if any other individuals had been involved.
