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22-year-old Jasmine Pace was found dead along Suck Creek Road in Chattanooga, on Thursday, December 1, 2022.
Her boyfriend Jason Chen (22) was arrested for her murder a day before her remains were found. Jasmine was a resident of Tennessee and her last known location was Jason’s apartment on the night of November 23.
Jason was charged with criminal homicide and was arrested on November 30, 2022, from his Nolensville home. He was later brought to Hamilton County.
Jasmine Pace met Jason Chen on a dating app
As mentioned before, the police confirmed that Jasmine Pace was last seen at Chen’s house. Her phone had been inactive since November 23, 2022, according to her childhood friend Bailey Putnam.
Bailey stated that everybody initially thought that Jasmine (Jazzy) had left home to grieve a relative’s death. When Jasmine Pace missed Thanksgiving dinner, her family began getting concerned about her whereabouts.
Putnam mentioned that although Jasmine Pace was not reachable through her cell phone, her social media accounts were active. A Facebook post that was uploaded on November 26, 2022, at about 6.52 pm local time made the family suspicious. The post read:
“Enjoying Thanksgiving with my baby!!”
The post was suspicious to the family, as they claimed it to be an older picture when Jasmine did not have tattoos on her shoulder.
Putnam added:
“Her phone has not been active since Tuesday. Her social media has, but not on the device of her phone. There’s not a day they don’t hear from Jasmine let alone an hour.”
According to the police, Jasmine Pace met Jason on a dating app, and they had been together for just over a few months. Jasmine’s mother, Catrina Pace reportedly got a text from Jasmine saying that she was going to meet a friend in South Carolina. However, the said friend denied having any such plans and also stated that she lived in Kentucky.
Catrina tracked her daughter’s car on November 26, using MyhevyApp, which revealed her location to be Tremont Street. Catrina and her husband found out that Jason Chen lived there. They called 911 after locating their daughter’s vehicle.
According to Catrina, the neighbors heard loud noises and disturbances at 2 am local time the same day. Police could not locate Jason, but they returned with a warrant on November 27, 2022.
Officials also found footage showing Jason leaving the house with a mask on and a black cloth wrapped around his hand. He was charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday.
He is currently being held at the Silverdale Detention Center, and no bond has been issued in his name. Chen is scheduled to appear in court on December 6, 2022.
Blood stains have been discovered at Jason’s apartment
Police officials have found blood stains in Jason’s apartment in the living room, bedroom, and bathroom. They also found broken glass and other shreds of evidence suggesting the possibility of a violent altercation between Jason Chen and Jasmine Pace.
According to the police, the 22-year-old student from the University of Tennessee also allegedly brought cleaning supplies to scrub off blood stains and other pieces of evidence.
Chen's former classmates from Nolensville High School said that he had a tendency to impersonate students online. A student, Addie Raymer, said:
“It just basically felt like he was trying to delve more into my life.”
Addie also mentioned that Chen had pretended to be her friend online and added:
“His personality is just very off. He's not very good at social cues and things like that.”
Hamilton County Dist. Attorney Coty Wamp said:
“Our hearts are with Jasmine’s family tonight as they deal with unimaginably difficult news. We are grateful that thanks to the hard work of the Chattanooga Police Department she may now be laid to rest surrounded by the friends and family that so deeply loved her.”
He added:
“The State of Tennessee is focused on prosecuting Jason Chen to the fullest extent of the law. In this case, justice will prevail.”
Julia Carroll, a resident of the same complex as Jason, said:
“We're all just kinda really uneasy. They said he just kind of gave off this weird vibe. He just kinda unsettled people with just like how he behaved.”
A spokesperson for the University of Tennessee Chattanooga stated that the university authorities are coordinating with the police and are also monitoring the students. They further mentioned:
“We are cooperating with law enforcement authorities regarding this matter and will continue to do so. We are unable to provide additional information due to student privacy laws.”
Jasmine Pace's heartbroken mother said:
“We will live with (this) for the rest of our lives.”
She also thanked the entire community who helped look for her 22-year-old daughter through her Facebook post.
