Body found in burning fridge on roadside leads to boyfriend’s arrest, TN cops say

A woman’s body was found in a burning refrigerator in a creek bed on the side of the road, Tennessee authorities said.

Now, her boyfriend, 49-year-old Edward Randolph, is charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of 47-year-old Hope Parrott, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

He’s been booked in the Overton County jail on $50 million bond, authorities said.

A woman reported a fire on a rural mountain road at about 1 a.m. July 31, and authorities found a burning fridge in a creek bed at the bottom of an embankment visible from the road, a spokesperson for the Overton County Sheriff’s Department told McClatchy News.

Investigators said they found human remains inside. But as authorities were working to confirm the victim’s identity, Parrott’s family filed a missing person report July 5, and law enforcement said they put the pieces together.

Parrott’s family had been trying to reach her for days but couldn’t get through to her, which they said was unusual, according to the sheriff’s department. They told investigators she had been trying to leave her boyfriend, the spokesperson said.

Overton County is about a 100-mile drive east from Nashville.

This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Body found in burning fridge on roadside leads to boyfriend’s arrest, TN cops say."