Midweek Rant: Tennessee Man Charged with the Brutal Murder of His Wife With a Hammer – Joseph Glynn

In Nashville, Tennessee, 76-year-old Jackie Glynn, a cherished figure in the community and the owner of the historic Riverwood Mansion, was brutally murdered, allegedly at the hands of her husband, 70-year-old Joseph Glynn. What began as a missing person’s report quickly turned into a case of deception, violence, and a disturbing confession.

Jackie Glynn was reported missing early January 2024, prompting a Silver Alert. Her husband, Joseph Glynn, claimed she had left due to a terminal illness.

“Basically that she had had cancer and she was terminally ill and that she was choosing to leave. She took some of her clothes and some money, and she left the residence to go to a cancer support group and to die on her own terms.”

One of Jackie’s granddaughters started crying and said,

“Yaya wouldn’t do that. She loved us too much. She would never leave us. Something has happened to Yaya. Dad, you have to find her.”

Suspicious of their father’s story, Jackie’s children contacted her medical provider and found out that she was not terminally ill.

Then, Jackie’s son, Chad Folk, started his own investigation using Jackie’s phone and using the Life360 app that was installed on the phone. He tracked Joseph’s activities.

“Based on the Life360 information, Mr. Folk was able to go and recover some of her belongings that had been thrown in a dumpster at McCabe Park, and we were also able to get video of the defendant at the same dumpster.”

During police questioning, Joseph admitted to killing his wife on New Year’s Day at their home in Green Hills, Tennessee. He allegedly confessed to beating her to death with a hammer and disposing of the murder weapon in the trash at the Keltonburg convenience site. Detective Elizabeth Mills said,

“He proceeded to tell us that he had killed her by striking her in the head multiple times with a hammer. There was blood spatter on the laundry room doors, the kitchen cabinets, the wall, the ceiling. Obviously there was evidence of blood all in the back of the truck that had been cleaned up; there was actually, visually you could see some blood on the door and on the seat.”

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Sheriff Ray shared details of how they found the weapon:

“Last Friday night, I contacted County Mayor Adcock about the convenience site at Keltonburg and if the compactor dumpster had been dumped (emptied) since Tuesday. He thought that it had been. County Mayor Adcock called me back Saturday morning and told me the dumpster did not have enough trash in it to dump. I had Mayor Adcock pull the dumpster in from the compactor and take it to the transfer station. It was placed there in a secure location under camera. We went today (Monday) at 3 p.m. and by 3:25 p.m. we had found two bags. Glynn had told Metro Nashville Detectives that there were two bags (he had thrown in the trash). One of the bags had clothes and things in it. The other bag had a bloody hammer and other articles in the trash bag that had blood on them including a towel and rags that Glynn had allegedly used to try to clean up the murder scene in Nashville. We retrieved them.”

After Joseph’s confession, officers searched the couple’s property in DeKalb County. They found a freshly filled hole, grave-sized hole. Jackie’s body was inside a plastic cargo box, buried under roofing shingles. Joseph had hired contractors to dig this hole, telling them it was for a burn pit.

“It was in a grave that had been dug on the DeKalb County property and the defendant actually gave us precise location as to where it was, and it was in fact right where he said it was. She was wrapped in a tarp and then put inside a luggage carrier, which the defendant had described in detail, so we were able to match that up and then it was put inside the grave, along with he had specified that he had put some roofing tiles and some wood in the grave as well, and that all matched up to what was found.”

The case took another twist when police arrested Anthony “Rooster” Miller, 29, who was charged with filing a false report. Rooster gave conflicting statements about his communication with Joseph and the location of Jackie’s vehicle, a crucial part of the investigation. Sheriff Ray described Miller’s involvement, explaining:

“We learned that on Tuesday, Glynn towed the vehicle on a trailer and had dropped it off at Miller’s house (Allen Bend Road), and then sent Miller a text stating the vehicle was at his house. It stayed there until 10 or 10:30 Friday when Glynn came and picked up the vehicle and took it to Barnes Mill Road.”

Following these revelations, Joseph was arrested and booked into the Davidson County Jail. He was charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. His bond was set at $1,030,000. As of now, the motive behind the murder remains unknown.

On August 24, 2024 Joseph pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Jackie Glynn was a well-known figure in Nashville, especially cherished for her role as the owner of Riverwood Mansion. Friends and family remembered her as a vibrant woman with big dreams. Longtime friend Lesli Emmetts expressed the grief felt by those who knew Jackie, saying:

“Such a sad day with the tragic news of a friend of over 25 years whose life was horrifically taken. Jackie was a tiny woman with big dreams, and Bill and I were honored to watch her live, create, build, and curate her dream of having the most amazing wedding venue where Nashville couples could say ‘I do.’”

Chad expressed his love for his mother saying,

“She was joyful. She was artistic, charismatic, kind, and inspiring. She was extraordinary.”

He also read statements from his children,

“When my Yaya was killed, I lost my confidant, best friend, my inspiration, and role model. I lost so much of myself — trust of those around me as well as a lot of joy.”

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