JUDY DIANE HIGGINS HUGHES

Judy Hughes' sister reported her missing on January 29, 1989.  Judy and her husband had been divorced for four years but continued to live together on Childress Hollow Road in Chickamauga, Georgia. 

On February 12, 1989, a woman's leg was found floating in the Tennessee River. 

Two days later, on Valentine's Day, Judy's ex-husband, James Hughes, was stabbed several times in the stomach. He tried to drive himself to an emergency room but crashed his car on Highway 153. When emergency responders arrived on scene at the wreck, they found him with a butcher knife still in his abdomen.  

A month and a half later, on April 1, 1989, men who were working on a boat found a torso floating in the Tennessee River near Suck Creek.  Forensic tests matched the torso to Judy Hughes. 

Original Investigating Agency: Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
If you have information on this case, please use the form below or call the cold case hotline:   423-209-7470

    COLD CASE COMMENT

    We understand you may not feel comfortable providing your identity or any contact information and we respect your privacy. 
    If you do not feel comfortable providing your name, please leave a way for us to contact you in case we need to ask for additional details. 
    Your contact information will only be seen by members of the District Attorney's Cold Case Unit unless you give your express consent for it to be shared with other law enforcement agencies.
    Your contact information will never be sold.