A backyard grave in Mount Olive led to the discovery that Zachary Steed Coats had been killed. Zachary, a 31-year-old White man from Wildomar, California, was identified by the Jefferson County Coroner after deputies conducting a welfare check on October 21, 2022, unearthed human remains in a freshly disturbed area of earth at a home in the 3000 block of Raceway Parkway. A cadaver dog alerted to the site; excavation and later forensic work established the victim as Zachary and investigators determined he had been shot to death on September 30, 2022.

The homicide investigation produced two arrests. The woman living at the residence, 39-year-old Christal Elaine Skelton, was charged with abuse of a corpse and initially held on $300,000 bond; she was released after posting bond on November 2, 2022. On November 4, 2022, 62-year-old William Vaughan McKnight was arrested on charges of murder and abuse of a corpse and held on $400,000 bond. As of November 2022, the case remained in the legal system. If anyone knew Zachary, his movements in late September, or has information about the Mount Olive residence, please come forward.