Christopher Jeffre Johnson, 51, has been charged by the Hamilton County Grand Jury with first-degree murder for the 2004 death of Melissa Michelle “Missy” Ward.
The exact date of Ms. Ward’s death is unknown. The 33-year-old Chattanooga woman was last seen the night of Oct. 29, 2004, getting into a pickup truck at the Bi-Lo grocery store on East 23rd Street.
She was reported missing on Nov. 2, 2004.
On Dec. 5, 2004, Ms. Ward’s decomposing body was found on Cash Canyon Road in Hamilton County.
A local attorney who was considering buying property in that area discovered the remains.
In 2014, Johnson was sentenced to 50 years in prison for unrelated crimes involving the 2011 kidnapping, rape and torture of two teenage girls.
In discussions with detectives during his incarceration, police said Johnson made incriminating statements regarding the disappearance and death of Ms. Ward.