Michael Cummins case: Man found near burning cabin in was beaten to death, decapitated, autopsy shows
By Mariah Timms
The Tennessean
James Fox Dunn was beaten to death and decapitated before being left outside his home to be found as it burned days later, an autopsy report confirmed.
Dunn died from multiple blunt force and sharp force injuries — just like the others who police say died at the hands of the same man.
Davidson County Medical Examiner Dr. Feng Li confirmed that Dunn's head was severed from his neck.
Dunn, 63, was born in Starkville, Mississippi, but grew up in Nashville, where he live most of his life, according to an obituary published by Austin Funeral & Cremation Services in Brentwood. The obituary states that Dunn “loved animals and the outdoors which is where he felt most at home.”
Michael Cummins, 25, has been charged in connection with Dunn's death, as well as seven others in sleepy Westmoreland in April. Prosecutors said earlier this month that they would seek the death penalty for this case.
Dunn's headless body was discovered at a burned cabin outside of Westmoreland in April, and his head was located nearby. His remains were severely decomposed by the time he was found by police.
He was "found outside. Unknown when last seen alive. Lived like a recluse," the autopsy report stated in bleak terms.
Officials previously were unsure whether the decapitation was related to the violence of his death or scavenger activity on the bones of the neck that could have led to the separation.
The Davidson County Medical Examiner's Office released the report Thursday, indicating Dunn's death was by homicide.
In other autopsy reports, the seven other victims named in connection to Cummins were also found to have suffered both blunt and sharp force injuries, with many of the blows focused on the head and shoulders.
David Cummins, 51; Marsha Nuckols, 64; Charles Hosale, 45; Clara Cummins, 44; Rachel McGlothlin-Pee, 43; and Sapphire McGlothlin-Pee, 12, were found dead in the family residence after a family member called police to the horrifying scene.
Shirley Fehrle, 69, was found dead at her neighboring home.
Dunn's killing is being investigated separately and independently from the previously discovered homicides. It is unclear how authorities have implicated Cummins in Dunn's death.
The case against Cummins went before a grand jury earlier in August. He remained in custody Friday in Nashville.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/new...ng/2100278001/
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