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A Carter County man wanted on multiple charges in connection with the death of a man whose remains were found in a buried freezer in Hampton earlier this month has been captured in Louisiana.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Friday that Jim Chambers, 37, of Carter County, was apprehended in Louisiana with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Orleans office, the Louisiana State Police, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Chambers was wanted on warrants charging him with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.

The charges against Chambers stem from an investigation that began on March 31 after family members reported 64-year-old Edward Elliott, of Roan Mountain, missing. Elliott had last been seen in either late January or early February.

On May 15, investigators of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joey Lee Guinn, 46, of Mike Clawson Road, Hampton, and charged him with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence in connection with Elliott’s death.

Earlier that day, officers of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, along with assistance from the Elizabethton Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, executed search warrants at the home of Guinn and nearby properties. Investigators also received assistance from Greene County Sheriff’s Officer Deputy Wayne Wilhoit and his K-9 partner Ruger, a cadaver detection canine. Other agencies assisting at the scene included the District Attorney’s Office, the Carter County Rescue Squad, and the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center.

During the search of the property, cadaver K-9 Ruger alerted to the presence of human remains. The area was then probed and scanned with a metal detector, indicating the presence of a metal object beneath the soil. The area was excavated, revealing a large freezer. When the freezer was opened, investigators discovered it contained human remains believed to be those of Elliott.

Chambers’ capture in Louisiana marks the second arrest in connection with the case, which Sheriff Mike Fraley said is still an active investigation.

“I want to express my deepest thanks to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI New Orleans office, the Louisiana State Police, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office for aiding the apprehension of Mr. Chambers,” Sheriff Fraley said. “I would also like to thank the public for their assistance in providing tips and spreading the word that we were looking for Mr. Chambers in the death of Mr. Elliott. It was an anonymous tip that ultimately led us to identify Mr. Chambers and Mr. Guinn as suspects in the murder of Mr. Elliott.”