TBI Press Release:
ROANE COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office, and the Office of the 9th Judicial District Attorney General has resulted in the arrest of an Athens woman, charged with murder in the death of her mother.
On April 20th, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a deceased female at a residence on Circle Drive in Rockwood. When deputies arrived, they found 75-year-old Bertha Lodewegen deceased. At the request of District Attorney General Russell Johnson, on April 21st, TBI agents joined Roane County and the DA’s office in the investigation. An autopsy revealed the manner of death to be homicide. During the course of the investigation, investigators determined that the victim’s daughter Marie Hefner was the individual responsible for her mother’s death.
On April 25th, 50-year-old Marie Hefner was arrested and charged with First Degree Murder. She was taken into custody at the Roane County Sheriff’s Office. A bond had not yet been set at the time of this release.