POWELL, Tenn. — The body of a 13-year-old girl was found in the Powell community Tuesday afternoon near the Broadacres community.
Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said a 15-year-old boy was arrested and is facing a second-degree murder charge. The suspect is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday at 10 a.m.
The Knox County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a call about the body at around 4:45 p.m. — a few minutes from Powell High School.
Spangler said the body was found on a trail often used by local kids to go back and forth from a nearby gas station, and he said two people found the body. He said the scene was still being worked by the sheriff's office and there was a chance kids could encounter deputies on their way to school Wednesday morning.
Spangler said it's believed the suspect and the victim knew each other and there was no active threat to the Powell community.
The identities of anyone involved were not immediately available. He said the investigation was ongoing and investigators were "looking at other leads" to see if there were any additional details. He also said he was withholding the girl's name out of respect for her family.
"It's tough and we had some of the detectives that went with some of our chaplains to inform the family," he said during a press conference Tuesday evening. "To unexpectedly have someone show up at your doorstep and tell you something so tragic. It's tough on that family, but it's tough on those individuals as well."
He said the Major Crime Division and the Juvenile Division were working on the case.