Case closed on body

found in Tennessee
By Melanie Davis
Melanie@mountaintimes.com

Investigators are wrapping up the case involving a body found in Johnson County, Tenn., over the weekend.
A passerby discovered the body of William David Hopkins, 19, of Mountain City, Tenn., Sunday morning in a parking lot off Prison Camp Road.

The incident was initially labeled a homicide investigation. Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reese said finding the body partially clothed with cuts and abrasions lead officials to suspect foul play.

The medical examiner determined the cuts and abrasions were in fact several days old. The cause of death was found to be hypothermia due to exposure to temperatures in the 20s Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Through interviews, Reese was able to determine the series of events leading to Hopkins’ death.

Hopkins was reportedly last seen at 7 p.m. Saturday leaving his mother's house with a friend. Reese said he went to a party near the North Carolina border.

Hopkins is reported to have left the party in a vehicle, but became involved in a verbal argument with the driver. The driver then asked him to get out of the vehicle. Reese said this occurred near where the body was found.

Upon pathologist examination, Hopkins was said to have had a very high blood alcohol content, which caused him to feel warm. Investigators said he then removed some of his own clothing before falling asleep, subsequently freezing to death.

The case has been officially deemed an accidental death with the involvement of drugs and alcohol. The Tennessee State Bureau of Investigation assisted in the investigation.