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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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New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

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New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet


Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.

The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.

“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”

In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.

It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider


tennessee softball
Photo via @Vol_Softball on X

Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.

The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.

Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.

Knoxville Regional

7-seed Virginia

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

Indiana

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

Northern Kentucky

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

More From RTI: Everything Josh Elander Said After Tennessee Baseball Dropped Series Finale Against Texas

Knoxville Super Regional

3-seed Georgia

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

6-seed Clemson

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
    • Jamison Brockenbrough – .342
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

UNC Greensboro

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader
    • Brooklyn Shroyer – 1.41

 

Charleston

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader
    • Mackenzie Mathis – 3.34



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Tennessee rowing wins first SEC championship in program history

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Tennessee rowing wins first SEC championship in program history


Tennessee rowing won the program’s first SEC championship in a thrilling finish on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge.

The title came down to the final race with the varsity eight boat, which had the lead against Texas going into the final 250 meters. The Longhorns made a late push to overtake the Lady Vols, but the 1V8 crew held on for the victory to secure the SEC championship on May 10.

Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 to win the title. It’s the first time the Lady Vols have won a conference championship since 2013 when they were a member of Conference USA.

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The program’s first SEC title comes in the third season under coach Kim Cupini, who has transformed Tennessee into a national powerhouse.

“Phenomenal to see that from the team”, Cupini said in a school release. “Texas coming in was the number one team in the country and had that undefeated eight. So to see the varsity eight clinch like that was awesome. I have to take my hat off to the full team to get enough points to win the SEC Championship and bring that championship home, especially here at home in Tennessee. So, I was super impressed and super proud of them.”

Tennessee moves on to the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, from May 29-31.

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Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 with four total wins, which also included the 2V4, 3V8 and 3V4.

The 1V8 boat finished with a time of 6:06.939 for the win. The first varsity eight crew has beaten eight ranked opponents on the season.

The 2V4 was a crucial comeback win for Tennessee. The second varsity four crew fell behind early but caught up to and overtook Texas in the final 500 meters for the win, finishing with a time of 7:12.677.

“I think the boats on the water saw that,” Cupini said. “To be able to race from behind in the event and win is incredible. The second four, we were going crazy on that. It was a group that just got together the other day. They row together a lot as a team and as a group, but that lineup hasn’t been together. So to see them pull that off and get the win was incredible.”

Tennessee swept the third varsity races, with the 3V8 finishing with a time of 6:29.409 and the 3V4 finishing with a time of 7:16.747. The Lady Vols placed second in the 2V8 and 1V4, losing to Texas by a combined 11 seconds.

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Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalllBluesky: @corahall.bsky.social‬. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe





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