KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – A Knoxville man has been found guilty of all charges in the 2021 murder of Desheena Kyle, his ex-girlfriend who was found dead months after she was reported missing.

John Bassett, 30, was convicted of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence on Wednesday.

Kyle, 26, was found dead at an abandoned home on Sam Tillery Road in September 2021 after family reported her missing in June.

Bassett had already been in police custody on drug and weapons charges when he was identified as a person of interest in the case.

Investigators had identified Bassett, who was previously in a relationship with Kyle, as a person of interest prior to the discovery of her remains. He was indicted in her death in October 2021.

“When they said guilty on all 3 counts, I felt like a murderer was where he needed to be,” Crystal Jackson, Desheena’s mother. “Desheena was my only daughter.”

Bassett has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charge. He will return to court for sentencing for the abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges.

Family members and volunteers conducted their own community search before her body was found.