GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Greene County grand jury indicted Preston Romez Moore, 31, on Tuesday in connection to the death of Caitlin Crum, 20, whose body was found inside an abandoned home in November 2021.
Crum’s mother, Brandi Knight, believes that this case isn’t over yet just because Moore was indicted — it’s only the beginning of what’s to come.
“I’m glad they got him, but the charges he’s got placed on him now are not the right charges,” Knight told News Channel 11. “He needs to be charged with murder.”
The last time News Channel 11 spoke with the family, they said several circumstances in Crum’s death stood out to them as suspicious. Family members said it was not like the mother of two to just disappear for long periods of time and be in the area of Greeneville.
Greeneville police confirmed Crum’s car was left abandoned at Towering Oaks Baptist Church, more than a mile away from West Barton Ridge Road where her body was found.
Crum’s cousin, Shawn Crum, said she was not known to be around that particular area of Greeneville and she did not like to walk long distances. He also said it was not like her to enter abandoned houses.
Knight said she believes authorities didn’t step in until protests and attention from the media came in.
“I think they brushed her off as an overdose, brushed it to the side and didn’t care until now,” Knight said. “Why has it taken six months for them to come forward with anything? Anything which we should have had a few answers a long time ago.”
Aside from bringing justice for her daughter, Knight advocates that parents with missing children get more attention.
“I will help with other people that are missing in the city and county as much as I can,” she said. “I need the community to step up and battle with this so we can get it out there, so other families can get answers as well.”
Knight wants not just family and friends, but the public to know who Crum was as a person.
“She was a mother of two. She graduated high school pregnant, enrolled in Walters State for three months and then met this crowd. And it was totally different,” Knight said. “She always came home, always. And then it seemed like within a week, her and her life changed and our lives changed.”
Crum’s family said they won’t stop pressing the matter until they have answers and justice is served.
“I will get to the bottom of it if it takes the rest of my life,” Knight said. “To get closure for my family. To get closure for her babies and to get justice for my daughter.”
Preston Moore was located in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon. According to a release from the Greeneville Police Department, Moore is charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and failure to report a death. He is expected to be transported to the Greene County Jail where he will be booked on a $70,000 bond.
