LEWIS CHAPEL, TN – Authorities in Sequatchie County have charged an 18-year-old man and his stepfather in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found burned in a backyard fire pit, after the pair initially claimed she had left the country.

Gabriel Vilchez, 18, and his stepfather, David Gardiner, 64, face charges of murder and abuse of a corpse in the killing of 47-year-old Silvia Vilchez. The incident came to light after concerned friends and relatives reported Silvia missing on October 28, prompting law enforcement to launch an investigation.

Investigators quickly grew suspicious when Gabriel Vilchez told them that his mother had abruptly traveled to her native Costa Rica. Authorities soon obtained a warrant to search the family’s home in Lewis Chapel, located about 30 miles north of Chattanooga.

Inside the residence, detectives discovered extensive evidence suggesting a violent confrontation had occurred in the home office. According to detectives, bloodstains covered the walls, furniture, and floors. The grisly scene suggested a fatal attack had taken place.

Officers later discovered Silvia Vilchez’s remains in a pit behind the house, where her body had been burned. Investigators believe significant efforts were made to destroy evidence and conceal the crime.

During interviews, authorities say Gabriel Vilchez admitted to fatally beating his mother with a baseball bat. He also implicated Gardiner, claiming his stepfather participated in the attack before both men rolled Silvia’s body in a carpet and moved it outside to the fire pit. Investigators were told that the two spent hours feeding wood into the flames in an attempt to fully burn the remains.

Gardiner, however, told detectives he had no knowledge of the killing and insisted that he slept through the entire incident, as well as the night-long burning of the body. Law enforcement officials expressed skepticism, noting that the odor from burning human remains would likely have made it impossible for anyone in the home to remain unaware.

Authorities have not released any information regarding a possible motive in the case, and details surrounding what led up to the violence remain unclear.

At a preliminary hearing this week, a Sequatchie County judge ordered Gabriel Vilchez to remain in jail without bond. Gardiner’s bond was set at $250,000 as he awaits further court proceedings.

Both men are scheduled to appear in court again on January 30, as the investigation into Silvia Vilchez’s death continues.