The Knoxville Police Department has identified the victim of a fatal stabbing on Oldham Avenue as 44-year-old Michelle Dresch. Authorities responded to the scene on the morning of June 17 after reports of the incident. Dresch was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, as noted by WIVK.
Following the incident, KPD investigators have since arrested 50-year-old Virgil Belin on a charge of first-degree murder. Police believe he fled the scene after reportedly having to stab Dresch multiple times during what is suspected to have been a domestic altercation, according to statements obtained by Knox News. Belin was found and taken into custody on June 18 in a wooded area near Broadway and Powers Street.
The Knoxville Police's initial arrival at the residence happened around 8:40 a.m. on the day of the incident. They discovered Dresch, who at the time was still alive, albeit having suffered at least one stab wound. Her eventual death at the hospital sparked a homicide investigation that quickly identified Belin as a suspect, as detailed by WVLT.
Following Belin's arrest, he is currently being processed in relation to the first-degree murder charge. The Knoxville Police Department has further encouraged anyone with additional information to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation. They can do so anonymously through the East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, potentially even to receive a cash reward for crucial information provided, echoed by a statement from KPD as reported by WVLT.
