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Man arrested after hitting wife in the head with hammer, burying body in DeKalb County

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Silver Alert has come to an end after Jackie Glynn, 76, out of Nashville was found deceased in DeKalb County, Tennessee.

This incident began on January 1, 2024, when police say Joseph Glynn, 70, struck his wife, Jackie, in the head with a hammer ultimately killing her.

Before this information was discovered, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert for Jackie Glynn on January 5, as she had a medical condition that might have impaired her ability to return safely without assistance. TBI said that Jackie's last known location was near her home in the 2400 block of Abbott Martin Road in Nashville.

Officials later discovered her body, which had been buried on a property she owned in the Belk Community in DeKalb County. The 6.99 acres of land were purchased in Jackie's name two years ago in the 4600 block of Allen Bend Road.

There was no house on the property, but it is believed that the Glynn couple stayed in a camper trailer when they were in DeKalb County.

According to the arrest affidavit, Glynn had towed and hid his wife's 2010 Toyota Rav 4 following the incident.

Upon his arrest, Joseph told Metro Police that he hit Jackie with a hammer inside their Abbott Martin Road home on the night of New Year's Day. Later confessing to transporting her body to DeKalb County on January 2, and burying it at their property.

Glynn then told police that he had thrown the weapon away and that he had sold some of her belongings.

Police say that Joseph attempted to reach a local realtor, as late as Thursday, January 4 to put the property up for sale. However, the realtor was out of town and couldn't meet with him.

Officials say that Glynn had told his wife's children that she had left home because she was terminally ill. Her medical provider later told the children that was not true.

On Friday, January 5, DeKalb County Sheriff Ray was contacted by Metro Police for assistance in conducting a welfare check at the Glynn property on Allen Bend Road. This came after Glynn told Metro Police about the property and that he had been there earlier in the day, conducting a bonfire. Glynn confessed to the crime.

Upon arriving at the Allen Bend Road property, officials met with Jackie's son who was there looking for his mother. A neighbor told officials and her son that they saw a freshly dug hole on the property, but that they had noticed that the hole had been recently filled.

Sheriff Ray commented on the discovery,

“We went onto the property and found what we thought to be a burial site. We found out that the hole was dug on December 16 by a contractor who had been told by Mr. Glynn that he wanted the hole for a burn pit. The hole was six feet wide, ten feet long, and six feet deep,” said Sheriff Ray.

Sheriff Ray said that they made contact with TBI and the District Attorney General, who joined in on the investigation. Deputies later dug into the hole and found Glynn's body inside a plastic vehicle cargo box. The box was covered with brand new roofing shingles piled on it nearly to the top of the grave and covered with dirt.

The DeKalb County Medical Examiner came to the scene, and the body was later transported to Nashville for an autopsy.

Sheriff Ray commented on the discovery of Jackie Glynn's vehicle stating that it was found in the Belk Area on Barnes Mill Road. Officials discovered that Joseph Glynn had thrown the hammer into a compactor in the Keltonburg Community Center on Tuesday, January 2.

Glynn has since been charged with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. He remains in custody in Nashville on a $1,030,000 bond. No charges in DeKalb County have been filed as the investigation is ongoing.

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