Body found in landfill ID’d as Knoxville man
Mark Denton, 47, of Knoxville has been identified as the man whose body was found in dumped garbage at the Chestnut Ridge Landfill on Dec. 11, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
Denton’s death apparently occurred in Knoxville, and has been deemed “accidental” by the Knoxville Police Department, the sheriff’s office reported.
The Sheriff’s Office was called to the landfill, at 140 Fleenor Mill Road, Heiskell, at approximately 8:55 a.m., after landfill workers spotted the body.
“Landfill employees notified the Anderson County E-911 Center, and deputies were dispatched to the scene,” the sheriff’s report said.
“Sheriff Russell Barker and detectives responded and began an investigation.”
The body was taken to the Knox County Forensic Center for examination, the sheriff’s report said, and was identified there.
“Preliminary findings from the investigation indicate that the circumstances surrounding the death were accidental in nature and occurred in the city of Knoxville,” the sheriff’s report said.
The case was transferred to the Knoxville Police Department as of Thursday, Dec. 19.
No information was released on how the body might have ended up at the landfill.
The Chestnut Ridge Landfill is privately operated by Waste Management, Inc., and collects trash and garbage from Anderson and Knox counties.
For more information, the Sheriff’s Office asks people to contact the Knoxville Police Department.
