February 20, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
Investigators have wrapped up their probe into the death of a woman whose body was found on a cold and rainy night in November in the backyard of a residence on Parkway Drive in Smithville.
According to District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, 28 year old Jessica Whitworth Stephens of Woodbury was the victim of an accidental death caused by a combination of drug toxicity and hypothermia.
“Investigators looked into the circumstances of her death and what we have been waiting for as the missing piece of the investigation is the report of the medical examiner. The autopsy report. We just recently received that back and the medical examiner’s office has determined that the cause of death is the combination of the presence of drugs in her system as well as hypothermia. It was a rainy and cold night when she was found and she was found outdoors exposed to the elements so the manner of death ruled by the medical examiner is an accident so there will be no further investigation on our part. There appears to be no crime. It’s just an accidental death caused by a combination of drug toxicity and hypothermia,” said Dunaway in a statement to WJLE by telephone Wednesday morning.
Stephens’ body was found on Monday, November 12 in a backyard on Parkway Drive near Federal Mogul. Through fingerprints, investigators were able to identify her.
The case was investigated by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the District Attorney Generals Office.