A Soddy Daisy man has been charged with criminal homicide in a case dating back to 2020, following a thorough investigation by Tennessee law enforcement agencies, according to WKRN. On Friday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced the arrest of 62-year-old Jimmy Higgins, who is accused of having a connection to the death of 42-year-old Duane Keener.
Authorities began probing the case after discovering human skeletal remains in a wooded area off CC Road on August 10, 2020, with the TBI stepping in at the behest of then-12th Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor, The Chattanoogan reported. A forensic examination eventually confirmed the remains to be those of Keener in February 2022 and information gathered for the investigation later pointed to Higgins as the primary suspect.
Higgins was taken into custody in Soddy Daisy and is now being held at the Bledsoe County jail; during the arrest, the Sequatchie County Sheriff's Office, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, the Soddy Daisy Police Department, and the Dayton Police Department all played roles in assisting the TBI with the case. The TBI newsroom clarified that the specific charge brought against Higgins is one count of Criminal Homicide.
