HAYWOOD COUNTY, Tenn. — The Haywood County Sheriff said Friday it has two persons of interest in the death of a missing woman found in a field.
Haywood County Sheriff Billy Garrett said about 6:35 p.m. Nov. 1, 2023, he got a phone call saying farmers found possible human remains while harvesting soybeans in a field near Cobb Crossing and Highway 79 in Haywood County.
Deputies and investigators made the scene, and confirmed there was a body in the field. He said the remains were that of Dana Davis, who had been reported missing by her mother on Oct. 15. Davis' remains were taken to the medical examiner's office in Memphis for identification and to determine how she died.
The sheriff said there was an extensive search conducted with a helicopter, drone, thermal equipment, and bloodhounds in the more than two weeks before her body was found. He said pings to her phone indicated she was within a 5 mile radius of her home, but neither her phone nor her body was found during that search. Garrett said investigators believe her body was not in the field during those search efforts.
At the time she went missing, they said it was believed Davis left the area and may have been picked up by someone in the area or became disoriented and got lost, as she was having mental health problems at the time.
Garrett said phone records showed Davis only spoke with two people - her mother and boyfriend - prior to going missing, and there were many unanswered calls during the search. They are awaiting results from a GPS phone search warrant.
Garrett said one of the two persons of interest has given a statement in the investigation, and they are now awaiting the autopsy results. He said the TBI is assisting in the investigation.
