CA Man Zackary Coats ID’d As Body Found In ‘Fresh Grave’ AL Woman Christal Skelton Arrested

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL. (THECOUNT) — Zachery Steed Coats, of Lakewood, California, has been identified as the victim found buried in a fresh grave at a Jefferson County, Alabama residence. Christal Elaine Skelton, of Mount Olive, has been arrested and charged in the death.

The body of Coats, 31, was found in a freshly dug grave on the property of a Mount Olive home after family members say they had not spoken to him for months. 39-year-old Skelton ws arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse.

According to reports, officials arrived to 3724 Raceway Pkwy in Mount Olive on Friday during an effort to locate Coats. When they arrived, a body, later identified as Coats, was found by cadaver dogs in a freshly dug grave.

According to public records, Skelton resided at the Mount Olive residence.

Coats was identified as the body by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday.

Tammy Prentis Coats posted the following to Facebook on Wednesday:

“Not sure how to express the feelings that are so very heartbreaking for you Zackary I am so sorry that your life was taken away from you in such a terrible way…I want everyone to know that Zackary has a warm heart and always was such a cute and funny young man..When he was a little man and him being an Adult he loved Batman..He had Batman Pjs he wore them all the time…Zackary had a addiction…But I don’t want him labeled that’s the son and brother ,uncle he was…And in are hearts family and friends let’s feel are hearts with warm memories …Good times…Zackary I will never know what you were going through in those final moments and it just hurts so much that that person took your life and you are loved by so many…I want that person to know Angels. We’re watching over are son…You put him in the ground but the angels released him to fly free…Zackary I love you and I’m holding you so close to my Now and forever”

Skelton was taken into custody. It is unclear if she was at the property at the time of her arrest.

The coroner’s office said the case was being handled as a homicide but provide a cause of death.

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Geo quick facts: Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, located in the central portion of the state. As of the 2010 census, its population was 658,466. Its county seat is Birmingham, the most populous city in the state – Wikipedia.