On the evening of December 24, 2021, 43-year-old Melissa J. Burgess-Smith and her 70-year-old father, Edward W. Atkins, were found shot to death inside their Dandridge, Tennessee, home. Both victims suffered fatal gunshot wounds: Melissa was shot twice, once in the mid-back and once in the left buttock, and Edward Atkins was shot once in the head. Spent cartridges were recovered near Melissa’s body and one was found on the porch; no weapon has been recovered.

Autopsy testing showed several controlled substances in Melissa Burgess-Smith’s system, and investigators have considered whether the killings might have been drug-related, but no definitive motive has been established. The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have interviewed neighbors and reviewed surveillance footage without identifying a suspect. No arrests have been announced, and a reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Did anyone in Dandridge or nearby communities see something unusual on Christmas Eve 2021 or have information that could help resolve this case?