Badly decomposed body found in car seat on driveway as chilling CCTV and clues lead cops to suspect
A DECOMPOSING body was found in the driver's seat of a car on Monday - before cops used CCTV to trace down the suspect.
Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) officers responded to a call on 951 Boynton Drive.
When they arrived at the scene, they discovered a black man in the "later stages of decomposition" in the driver's seat of a blue Mitsubishi Mirage around 7am, according to an affidavit.
A homicide detective who was called in said the scene at the intersection of Boynton Drive and West MLK Boulevard "appeared suspicious", before identifying the deceased as 48-year-old Samuel Moore Jr.
CCTV from the area revealed that two men were present in the Mitsubishi when it entered the driveway on June 16 - including Samuel Moore Jr.
The affidavit reveals that the footage showed a black man wearing a black tank top and black shorts exiting the passenger side.
The man was later identified as Michael Orr, 54.
Meanwhile, a witness told the investigating officers that they were on the phone with Moore at the time of the event, and confirmed hearing a man in the background arguing with him.
The witness, as well as several other friends, grew concerned and tried to call Moore on numerous occasions over the next few days, the affidavit shows.
During an interview, the affidavit also shows that Moore gave an incoherent account of events from that morning.
The second man, Orr, admitted he was in the Mitsubishi while he alleged Moore was using drugs, before exiting the car.
According to the affidavit, Orr also confessed to having a knife, and failed to give a definitive answer when asked whether Moore's DNA would be found on the knife.
The footage showed that, after Orr left the car, Moore never exited, and no one approached the vehicle until police arrived on the scene on Monday.
Officials confirmed the victim had been dead a while, but an autopsy carried out on Moore revealed it was a case of homicide.
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Orr has now been charged with criminal homicide, the CPD confirmed.
The case is still under investigation.