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Who are the Tennessee plant explosion victims? 16 people presumed dead in factory explosion

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Who are the Tennessee plant explosion victims? 16 people presumed dead in factory explosion


A small Tennessee county is in mourning after an explosion at an ammunition processing plant last week is believed to have killed everyone who was inside.

The blast Friday was reported at Accurate Energetic Systems near McEwen, Tennessee, at around 7:45 a.m., leaving behind only scattered debris. Officials reported a day after the explosion that there were no survivors, adding that 16 people who were in the privately owned facility were unaccounted for.

A candlelight vigil was held Sunday outside the Humphreys County Courthouse to mourn the 16 presumed victims of the blast. Crowds of people could be seen paying their respects with lit candles.

On Monday, a list of the victims was released: Jason Adams, Erick Anderson, Billy Baker, Adam Boatman, Christopher Clark, Mindy Clifton, James Cook, Reyna Gillahan, LaTeisha Mays, Jeremy Moore, Melinda Rainey, Melissa Stanford, Trenton Stewart, Rachel Woodall, Steven Wright and Donald Yowell.

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As the cause of the blast remains under investigation, more is coming to light about the victims.

Trenton Stewart

Trenton Stewart.via Facebook

Stewart, 25, is missing and presumed dead as a result of the Friday morning explosion.

His fiancée, Katy Stover, described him as the best man she has ever met.

“I don’t know what I can even say to make anyone understand the man he was,” Stover wrote in a Facebook post. “He made me laugh until I couldn’t breathe, and he was truly my best friend, my soulmate, and my person.”

According to Stewart’s Facebook page, he was a pastor at a church in Waverly, Tennessee. In a post, he said that his goal as a pastor “isn’t to have the biggest crowd, or to be the most perfect person, but to show the love of Christ in whatever way possible.”

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The last livestream from one of his sermons was posted on Oct. 5.

LaTeisha Mays

LaTeisha Mays.
LaTeisha Mays.via WSMV

Mays, 26, is unaccounted for, her family told NBC affiliate WSMV. She worked for Accurate Energetic Systems for eight months.

Her family described her as “the glue to our family.”

Steven Wright

Steven Wright.
Steven Wright.via Facebook

Wright’s wife, Melinda, is mourning her husband.

“How could I have known that 24 hours ago I would have watched those taillights disappear for the last time!” she posted to her Facebook account the day after the explosion.

The couple shared two boys.

Rachel Woodall

Rachel Woodall.
Rachel Woodall.via Facebook

Woodall was a production operator at Accurate Energetic Systems, according to her Facebook profile.

Her boyfriend, Nathan Birchard, remembered her as his angel.

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“You brought color into my world that was otherwise dark and grey,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “You made me a better man and always made me wanna strive to be better. We had dreams and a future that we was planning just to be taken away in a instant.”

Birchard said Woodall “touched so many lives.”

“You never would’ve realized the impact you have made on those around you,” he wrote.

Christopher Clark

Christopher Clark.
Christopher Clark.Family photo

Clark’s sister, Peggy Wood, said he was known as “Buck.”

“He never met a stranger and was loved by everyone,” Wood told NBC News. “He is greatly missed by his family. This is a loss we will never get over.”

Clark was the youngest of all his siblings, his sister said.

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“There was 9 years between us,” she said. “We were the ‘babies’ out of nine.”

Melissa Stanford

Melissa Stanford.
Melissa Stanford.via Facebook

Stanford was a mother, daughter, sister and aunt, according to her niece, Brittany Kirouac.

Kirouac said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spoke to families of the victims on the day of the blast and told them “there was a zero percent chance of survival.”

“Keep our family in your prayers, send good vibes, whatever you do,” Kirouac wrote in a Facebook post.

Jeremy Moore

Jeremy Moore.
Jeremy Moore.via Facebook

On Friday, Moore’s mother, Ava Hinson, asked for prayers for her son after hearing there had been an explosion at his workplace.

She described her son, who lived near her, as “sweet as sugar.”

“I call him ‘my little boy’ and he would tell you that he was my little boy and he was about 6′ 7″ and weighs about 300 pounds,” Hinson told NBC News on Saturday.

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Moore had been working in the munitions industry for almost 19 years, his father, Gary Moore, said. On the day of the blast, he dropped his daughter off at his mother’s house and went to work as he normally would.

“At 7:45 a.m., the day turned very abnormal, and here we are,” Gary Moore said.

Hinson went to visit her son’s house after hearing about the blast, hopeful that she would find him.

“And it hit me, just a few minutes ago, that he won’t be back,” Hinson said.

Moore would have turned 38 on Oct. 20.

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Jason Adams

Jason Adams.
Jason Adams.via Facebook

Adams and his wife, Valerie, just celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary, she said in a Facebook post.

“How am I suppose to live without my soulmate, love of my life and my best friend,” she wrote.

Billy Baker

Billy Baker.
Billy Baker.via Facebook

Baker’s cousin, Emily Tate, announced his death on Facebook the day after the blast.

“Billy always seemed big and sturdy — larger than life,” Tate wrote. “He always had a smile and a hug for me, his ‘little cuz.’”

Tate asked for prayers for his wife, sons and grandchildren.

Mindy Clifton

Mindy Clifton.
Mindy Clifton.via Facebook

A friend of Clifton’s remembered her as “a big personality wrapped around a caring heart,” while another said she took him under her wing at the start of his career in the corrections industry.

“When we last spoke, I told you ‘I Love you’ and your response was…’I love you too brother,’ so i have absolutely no regrets,” JayVion Mcvadian wrote.

Reyna Gillahan

Reyna Gillahan.
Reyna Gillahan.via Facebook

Gillahan’s daughter, Rosalina, said her mother’s dream was to pay off her home.

“She was a beautiful soul — loving, strong, and always thinking of others before herself,” Rosalina Gillahan wrote in a Facebook post.

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Donald Yowell

Donald Yowell.
Donald Yowell.via Facebook

A friend of Yowell’s said, “his love, his laughter, and his hugs were all larger than life.”

Ashlee Oliver asked for prayers for his family and loved ones, and advised everyone to live life the way he did.

“And in honor of Don… be kind, forgive easily, and love well,” Oliver wrote in a Facebook post. “All things he did perfectly.”

Melinda Rainey

Rainey was passionate about WWE, according to her nephew’s wife, Kimberly Thomas-Thorn.

“She was one of the sweetest, kindest people I’ve met,” she wrote. “I’m going to miss her talking about WWE wrestling and aggravating Josh about TN vs BAMA.”



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Tennessee

Titans May Have Gotten Win in Bye Week

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Titans May Have Gotten Win in Bye Week


The Tennessee Titans are sitting at home for their Week 10 bye, but they may have seen their outlook improve for the future.

The Titans came into the week in a tie for the No. 1 overall pick’s top odds with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, but results for the early slate of games in Week 10 have pushed Tennessee in sole possession of the chances for the top selection.

The Saints came in as underdogs on the road against the Carolina Panthers, who were coming off a massive win against the Green Bay Packers on the road.

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Despite the Panthers’ momentum, the Saints were able to grab their second win of the season thanks to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. The second-round pick out of Louisville completed 19 of 27 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jets started the season 0-8, but they have now rattled off back-to-back victories against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.

Despite trading several of their top players at the trade deadline earlier this week, the Jets are in the win column again thanks to a pair of special teams touchdowns to beat the Browns.

The Titans could snag the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row. If the Titans were to lose their final eight games, they will be on the clock at the start of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Things have been rough for the Titans in their rebuild this season. This year’s top pick Cam Ward has demonstrated signs of being a franchise quarterback, but he has also been put in a tough position with the lack of talent around him.

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The Titans need a lot of help in the development department, so having the top selection will be crucial. There’s a good chance the Titans won’t be looking for a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, so they could use the top selection to trade back in the draft for even more picks, generating them into players who could work down the line.

At the end of the day, the Titans still need to draft the right players, regardless of whether they have No. 1, No. 2 or No. 32, but having the top selection open things up for the team.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!





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How J.P. Estrella ‘changes everything’ for Tennessee basketball’s offense

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How J.P. Estrella ‘changes everything’ for Tennessee basketball’s offense


J.P. Estrella backpedalled down the court.

The Tennessee basketball forward had already nodded his head and flexed after dunking for second-chance points. He threw in a clap for good measure, the smallest of his celebrations after a flurry of eyebrow-raising scoring plays against Northern Kentucky. 

“It changes everything and he can do more,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said. “I promise you he can do more of that.”

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Estrella gave the latest glimmer of his vast offensive talent for No. 17 Tennessee (2-0) in its 95-56 win against Northern Kentucky (1-0) on Nov. 8 at Food City Center. He scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds, leading to Barnes’ glowing review after he poured in points in 20 minutes.

The 6-foot-11 Estrella had a 12-point, five-rebound debut against Mercer on Nov. 3, which was a good start in his first game back following foot surgery in November 2024.

His game against Northern Kentucky was a declaration of the offensive talent the Vols have always known he possessed. 

“It really helps because nobody can really stop him down there in the paint,” Vols guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “If he is using his size and playing how he has been playing, we should be really good.”

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Estrella is Tennessee’s best post-up threat and around-the-rim scorer, which is what he was expected to be.

Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips both can score, but not like Estrella. He’s a player the Vols can play through and toss the ball into with his back to the basket whenever they desire. He also can step out and shoot 3-pointers.

It’s that skill that made him a four-star recruit and a player the Vols — as well as the likes of Duke and Kansas — coveted. He flashed it as a freshman in 2023-24, but missed all but three games in the 2024-25 season due to a foot injury. 

The sophomore from Maine is finally healthy and is a perfect fit for a team that will lean heavily on Gillespie and Nate Ament to be the leading scorers. He looks like the top candidate to be the third-leading scorer.

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But there is no question he changes the offense as defenses have to watch him closely.

“They’ve got to respect him,” Ament said. “They have to help on his post-ups. The better he is playing offensively, the better we will be playing as a team.”

Estrella proved that against Northern Kentucky with every touch. 

He scored through contact. He made multiple short lefty hook shots. He got second-chance points. He tipped in his own miss. He facilitated his teammates scoring. He placed himself well to get the ball and score.

After it all, Barnes still thinks Estrella has no clue how good he can be yet. But he thinks he will find out — and Tennessee will be at its best if he does.

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“There is so much more there,” Barnes said. “I think he will get there.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.





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Medical expert speaks on measles impact in Middle Tennessee

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Medical expert speaks on measles impact in Middle Tennessee


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