He drove over her body, police say

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Summary: Elysia Kinsella, 22, was found at a Chattanooga motel on July 8. Donte Taylor, 40, faces charges after police found her body at the motel.

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A search for a missing Chattanooga, Tennessee, woman ended July 8, 2026, when police found her body in the parking lot of a Studio 6 Suites motel. Elysia Kinsella, 22, had been reported missing the previous week. Her death remains under investigation, and authorities have not publicly established the cause or manner of death.

Donte Taylor, 40, was arrested later that day. He was initially charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Those charges concern the handling of Kinsella's body and the investigation; Taylor has not been charged with murder based on the sources reviewed for this article.

Police describe what surveillance captured

According to an arrest affidavit reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press and other outlets, surveillance video became an important part of the investigation.

Police say Taylor arrived at the motel shortly before the body was discovered. Investigators allege that video showed him carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in blankets from a motel room and dragging it down a staircase.

The affidavit says Taylor made several attempts to place the body inside the trunk of his vehicle. When those attempts failed, investigators allege that he left the body in the parking lot and drove over it before leaving the property.

Police later located Taylor and took him into custody. Investigators also reported finding surveillance footage that appeared to show him cleaning the rear portion of his vehicle after leaving the motel. According to the arrest report, Taylor subsequently acknowledged taking Kinsella's body to the parking lot and said he remembered feeling bumps when he drove over it.

Cause of death remains a key question

The circumstances surrounding Kinsella's death are separate from the allegations involving her body. Chattanooga police said when they announced Taylor's arrest that her cause of death was still being investigated. An autopsy was expected to help determine how she died.

Taylor was being held in the Hamilton County Jail, and later reports said a $265,000 bond had been set. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The case remains a criminal investigation, with authorities seeking to establish what happened to Kinsella before her body was discovered and whether additional charges are warranted.

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Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Sources/related links:

Chattanooga Police Department — July 9, 2026 release

Chattanooga Times Free Press — July 13, 2026 report

WDEF — Initial hearing report

PEOPLE — July 16, 2026 report

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