Saltville man drove with dead woman in vehicle for 8+ hours, sheriff reports

Murry Lee
·1 min read

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) – A Saltville man has been arrested after authorities claim he drove around Washington County, Virginia for hours with a deceased woman in the back seat of his vehicle.

According to the Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), deputies were called around 2 p.m. Thursday about a man driving around with a body in his vehicle. A news release from the WCSO states Sanders Chad Barrett, 57, was found in the parking lot of a Bristol, Virginia store with the woman’s body in the back seat.

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The woman was pronounced dead, and a search warrant was executed by the WCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division and the Virginia State Police.

Investigators determined the woman had been dead “for an extended period of time,” the release states.

According to the sheriff’s office, investigators also learned that Barrett had driven to several locations in the county with the dead woman in the vehicle for over eight hours.

As of Friday, the WCSO stated the cause and manner of the woman’s death are not known while investigators await a determination from the medical examiner. Her identity is being withheld until her next of kin can be notified.

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Crime Watch

Barrett was taken into custody on an outstanding felony warrant from Smyth County. He also faces additional charges in Washington County, which include:

  • Felony possession of crystal methamphetamine

  • Felony transport, secrete, conceal or alter a dead body with malicious intent and to prevent detection of an unlawful act or to prevent the detection of the death or the manner or cause of death

Barrett was being held without bond at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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