SEQUATCHIE COUNTY, Tenn. — A father and son are charged with killing a missing woman in Sequatchie County and abusing her corpse.

Deputies say 64-year-old David Gardiner and his 18-year-old son, Gabriel Vilchez, are accused of murdering the woman and trying to burn her remains near their home on Snyder Loop in the Lewis Chapel community.

The Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office says the case began Tuesday, October 28th, when deputies were called about a possible missing person. Investigators quickly determined there were suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

After multiple interviews, investigators obtained a search warrant for the family’s home and property.

When they searched the site on Thursday, October 30th, deputies say they discovered evidence that the victim had been beaten to death.

Not far from the home, they found recently charred human remains believed to belong to the missing woman.

Those remains have been taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Nashville for identification and further examination.

Both Gardiner and Vilchez are charged with criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse.

According to the Sequatchie Post Facebook page, Gabriel Vilchez graduated from Sequatchie County High School earlier this year.