By ALEXIS ZOTOS
6 News Reporter
TELLICO PLAINS (WATE) - After the discovery of a teen victim's body Tuesday in Cherokee National Forest, his cousin and another man are being held as murder suspects.
A hiker reported finding the body of a young, white male near Bald River Falls.
The body was later identified as being Justin Click, 18, of Sweetwater. He had been shot multiple times, according to a press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Click's cousin by marriage, Stephen Labron Chrisman, Jr., 31, of
Calhoun, and Charles Allen Kile, 51, of Vonore, were arrested early
Wednesday. They are charged with first degree murder.
Click's mother, Ronnie Sisk, says she knew something was wrong when she hadn't heard from him.
"It's not like my son to just up and disappear and not let anyone know where he's at, and I searched for him for hours on top of hours yesterday," Sisk said.
According to the TBI, Click was with the two men arrested, swimming and drinking in a secluded part of Cherokee National Forest when he was shot.
At this point, it's not clear what motivated the shooting.
"He was the last person my son was with," said Sisk.
She's shocked by her son's murder. "He didn't have any enemies. He was a good kid. He was almost 19 and just getting his life started," she said.
Click graduated from Sweetwater High School last May. His mom said he loved sports, especially basketball and football. She said he also loved to fish and spend time with his family. He just started his first job last week and was looking forward to his first paycheck.
"He told me momma don't make plans for Friday night because we're going to do something fun. I told him, okay son I won't. And now Friday is never going to come. He was my world, my only baby," Sisk said.
Kile was arraigned and booked into the Monroe County Jail on a $2,50,000 bond and Chrisman is expected to be arraigned Thursday morning.
TBI was contacted by federal park law enforcement to investigate the murder after Click's body was discovered.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office will continue the investigation.
Stephen Labron Chrisman (source: Monroe County Sheriff's Office)
Charles Allen Kile (source: Monroe County Sheriff's Office)
Justin Click (source: family)
"They took my baby from me and my baby never hurt no one. And they killed him," said Click's mother, Ronnie Sisk.
