FBI Identifies Man Found Dead in Smokemont Baptist Church in the Smokies

Authorities have released the name of a man found dead last month in the Smokemont Baptist Church in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In a statement Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the man found dead in a historic church in the Smokies as 25-year-old Tyler Britton Gaddis, of Whittier, N.C.

Gaddis’ body was discovered in the church about 3 a.m. on March 29, 2015. The FBI responded to assist the National Park Service in the investigation and gather evidence at the scene. Gaddis’ death is an active homicide investigation.

Smokemont Baptist Church, also known as the Oconaluftee Baptist Church, is located a few miles inside the Cherokee, N.C. entrance to the park.

“No additional details are being released at this time due to the ongoing investigation,” said Shelley Lynch, public affairs specialist with the Charlotte division of the FBI.

According to an obituary published by Crisp Funeral Home in Bryson City, Gaddis was a native of Jackson County, North Carolina and is survived by a daughter, his parents, three brothers and a sister. A funeral service was held April 9, 2015.

Photo credit: NPS

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