05/03/2025
I first and foremost want to offer my deepest condolences to the family members of the incident that took place at my workplace/family business. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through. I do not usually reply to hate because I am the person that allows God to handle the day to day. I do the best I can to treat all of our customers/employees with the utmost respect. There has been a lot of speculation/defamation over this case and I honestly feel that it has tarnished my families business. I mean how could it have not. The post that was put on Facebook was headlined with suspicious death and a picture of our business leaving a bad depiction of us just when looking at it. It tells of unfactual circumstances saying that we were "preparing to place a mechanic lien" on a vehicle that had been at our lot for almost a month. Garage keepers/tow liens are placed within 3 days of the vehicles being at our lot per state law. I requested information from Tennessee who told me that the vehicle was registered in another state. I then requested information from that state and as soon as I received the information from that state I attempted to notify the owners/lien holders of the vehicles location. Completing this lien is essential in fufilling the requirments of the law in Tennessee. I spoke with some of the higher chain of command with MPD and fortunately they were able to change some of the wording. Still I believe the damage was done. I am fully aware people are always going to say mean things and there is nothing I or anyone can do to stop that. I just do not understand why the post could have not been held off until the autopsy was done allowing for all the facts to come in place. I have the utmost respect for all law enforcement and first responders. They went above and beyond in handling this case. I just unfortunately disagree with the post and I have voiced that to them. Like previously mentioned it leaves a lot of room for speculation/defamation.
A lot of people are asking questions like:
Q: Why did we not look in the vehicle or go into it?
A: We looked at the windows. They were blacked out and you could not see inside. A cover/sheet was used to cover from the back of the front seat and it covered the rear of the vehicle. We are not allowed to enter a vehicle in Tennessee. The law states that we need to notify owners of the vehicles whereabouts. The way we do that is by using the vehicles identifiers. Most of the time those identifiers can be found on the outside of a vehicle. The VIN is by the windshield and license plate is usually in the back/front depending on the state. The only reason we are allowed to unlock/open a vehicle in the state of Tennessee is to fufill that requirement. If the VIN is covered or unreadable or if there is no license plate. If the license plate that is on the vehicle brings up a different vehicles information. If all of these options fail we are then allowed to go into the vehicle to get the VIN that is usually placed along the door panel on the driver side. This option was not necessary because we were able to get the identifiers from the outside. We do everything we can to protect people's personal property. If we have no reason to enter someones vehicle then we don't.
Q: How did we not smell it?
A: The smell was not strong from the outside of the vehicle. You had to be right on it but closer to the rear to even smell anything. I personally did not smell anything but I never got close to the rear of the vehicle. I stood out in front of it. The vehicle was facing out with the front nose of the vehicle facing our interior lot and the rear of the vehicle facing our exterior fence. The only reason my father got close to the vehicle was because he was doing a random check of vehicles that had liens put on them. He was checking the exterior conditions of the vehicles to begin figuring out what the next step was. We have to do this because many vehicles go unclaimed by owners/lienholders due to many factors (exterior damages deeming some vehicles totalled, engine failure, transmission failure, etc.) When he got close to the vehicle he noticed a weird smell and saw a bunch of flies inside the car. He thought there may have been food that spoiled so he asked one of the employees to open the vehicle because the doors were locked that employee had to use a lockout tool in order to do so. Keep in mind we were allowed to enter the vehicle at that time because we had a lien placed on it. When he opened the vehicle he told me it was a very distinct smell and thought it might have been an animal. Which gave us probable cause and reasonable suspicion that something was wrong. He got some gloves on and moved the cover/sheet and saw that it was a body. He immediately stopped what he was doing notified me and I called MPD.
I only post this because I know people have questions. But some of the things being said about how we handled this case are downright mean. People are saying these things without even knowing the circumstances. I want to say thank you to the people who used more care with the words they chose even offering condolences to the family of the person deceased and keeping my employees and us in their thoughts as well. I can't fix any of the mean things some people have said and the lies that have been spread. All I know is that I feel that this post should have waited to have been put on social media. First and far most for the respect of the family members and then for us the small business. We have been in Tennessee since 1999. When my father started this business he spoke a very broken english. But he worked very hard to start this business and over the years with the many wonderful employees we have had and still have. We have been able to help out so many customers in their time of need. Our business focus is mostly on customer vehicle's broken down on the side of the road or at their house needing to get to a repair facility. We of course offer an array of services but that is our main focus. Abandoned vehicles is maybe 1-2% of our business. When we move those type of vehicles we follow all of the states protocols and even go above and beyond by taking pictures. We do not tow and go as many have mentioned. Our process is detailed and I even have a note on the account to ensure that our employees follow it:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION NEEDED:
*Always call Police before towing away any vehicle and put badge # in notes.
*Get person who requested the tow away's Name - Title/Position - Name of business/Apt/Pvt Res.
*Reason for tow must be notated and verified before towing.
*Get any and all identifiers off vehicle (VIN, Make, Model, Color, License plate, USDOT #, MC #, etc.)
*Pictures must be taken before and after.
*Heavy Trucks must get USDOT #/MC #/Unit # pictures and add to notes.
We have never towed a vehicle off by mistake as someone had mentioned in the comments that he had paid for a spot and we towed it off. We do not go to these business and tow vehicles off without permission. We are always called by the manager, business owner, or resident owner. Usually if there are any mistakes its by the person that asked us to remove the vehicle. When those mistakes happen it falls on them to correct them and if they can't or won't I usually do what I can to help the customer/vehicle owner.
I can't respond to every bad thing said. I believe it is best that I stop here. I believe I have said enough. My actions speak louder than my words. My integrity is intact. I am a Military Veteran and try to live by the core values instilled in me.
My parents are amazing people who have worked very hard in a very tough industry that is often looked down on. I live by their values they have instilled in me as well. Values like hard work. Treating people with kindness. Honesty, Integrity, respect and so many more. A lot of people don't understand the sacrifice it takes to run a towing business. We work day and night to help customers in their time of need. When a vehicle breaks down and your on the side of the road we do everything we can to get to you as quickly and safely as possible. It is hard work but it is also gratifying to help out so many people. I am so thankful to all of our wonderful friends, customers, and business friendships. Thank you you also to everyone who stuck up for my family. Thank you for trusting us in your time of need.
