Police thought the church fire was an accident — then they found a body inside

What first appeared to be a devastating accidental church fire in Athens, Tennessee, quickly turned into a homicide investigation after firefighters discovered the body of a longtime church secretary inside the burned building and witnesses described a suspicious man seen near the scene shortly before the flames spread.

The bodycam footage and police response were reviewed by the YouTube channel Midwest Safety, whose host said officers initially heard reports that a fallen power line may have sparked the August 16, 2024, fire at St. Mark AME Zion Church, a historic congregation that had stood for more than 150 years.

As firefighters struggled to control the blaze, however, officers learned that 69-year-old Linda Buchanan, the church’s secretary and a longtime member of the community, might still be inside, while witnesses began describing a man who had appeared nearby sweaty, disheveled and asking for water shortly before the fire.

Firefighters Initially Feared An Accident

The first officers arriving at the church found flames already tearing through much of the building, with smoke visible from a significant distance and firefighters from surrounding areas being called in to help.

Bodycam footage shows officers pushing spectators away from the structure because of the risk from collapsing material, power lines and the intensity of the fire, while people nearby tried to understand whether anyone was still inside.

One early explanation involved a possible electrical problem.

An officer relayed that another caller believed a power line had fallen onto the church and produced a spark, while others noted that the part of the building where the fire appeared strongest was near the kitchen.

At that point, the scene still looked like a catastrophic structural fire rather than a crime scene.

That changed when people began telling police about Buchanan.

Her car was still outside, the doors were unlocked, and no one could reach her by phone. Several people said she was known to spend time inside the church and feared she had never escaped.

Firefighters had already tried to make entry but had been forced back by the heat and flames.

Witnesses Describe A Suspicious Man

As officers managed the crowd, employees from a nearby Tennessee Wesleyan University maintenance area approached police with information that shifted the investigation in a different direction.

One worker said a man had entered their building shortly before the fire, sweating heavily and asking for water.

The witness described him as wearing a white shirt that was partly unbuttoned and said he appeared disheveled and unusually agitated.

According to the bodycam footage, the man claimed he had been out running and said he used to work for someone named Danny, a name familiar to the maintenance employees.

When the workers told him they had nothing for him and tried to move him along, he reportedly said he would find “God’s water.”

The same witness later saw the man at the church, where someone apparently let him inside through a rear door.

That detail immediately became significant because it placed an unidentified man inside the church shortly before the building was engulfed.

Officers began collecting descriptions and contact information from the witnesses while trying to determine whether the man could be identified.

Linda Buchanan Is Found Dead Inside

Once firefighters finally brought the blaze under control and investigators could safely enter the building, they found Buchanan’s body inside.

Midwest Safety said investigators later determined that she had been killed before the fire was set.

At that point, what had started as a possible electrical fire became a murder and arson investigation.

The discovery also gave much greater importance to the witnesses who had seen the man near the church before the flames appeared.

Police eventually identified 36-year-old Kyle Hickox as someone they wanted to speak with, partly because officers already knew him from a recent welfare-related call.

The following night, officers went to Hickox’s home.

Their initial approach was calm and conversational, with one officer asking how he was doing and referring to the earlier welfare contact.

Hickox told them he had been fine and had simply needed time away.

When officers asked whether he had been near the ball field or university maintenance building, he said he frequently ran around the area and talked to people about God.

Officers Return With More Questions

During the conversation, officers asked whether Hickox would allow them to photograph his face and tattoos so witnesses could determine whether he matched the man they had seen near the church.

Hickox appeared increasingly uneasy and asked why police were at his home.

The officers told him they were trying to rule people out and explained that someone matching his general description had been seen near the maintenance building and church.

At one point, Hickox acknowledged knowing someone named Danny, which matched part of what witnesses had reported hearing from the suspicious man.

Roughly an hour later, officers returned and asked for permission to search the home.

Hickox appeared willing to consent, but his wife refused, meaning investigators had to seek a search warrant instead.

That decision turned out to be important.

Midwest Safety said investigators already had surveillance footage showing Hickox near the area around the time of the fire, which helped support the warrant application.

A judge approved the request.

Blood On His Shoes Becomes Key Evidence

During the search, investigators recovered shoes belonging to Hickox that appeared to contain blood.

Laboratory testing later determined that the blood matched Linda Buchanan, according to Midwest Safety.

That evidence became one of the most important links between Hickox and the killing.

Investigators also relied on surveillance video showing him moving through the area before and after the fire, including footage that placed him near the church and nearby properties.

The combination of witness statements, surveillance footage and the blood evidence transformed what had initially been a suspicious-person inquiry into a murder case.

When officers later arrested Hickox, bodycam footage showed him still asking what the situation was about.

He told officers he had already spoken with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, provided DNA and allowed investigators to search his home.

Hickox was transported to the McMinn County Jail.

Historic Church Was Completely Destroyed

Midwest Safety said Hickox was later charged with the murder of Buchanan, arson and abuse of a corpse.

Buchanan was described as a church secretary, teacher and well-known member of the community, while St. Mark AME Zion Church was one of the oldest Black congregations in the region.

The fire destroyed the building.

That loss extended the impact of the crime far beyond the killing itself, because the blaze also erased a church that had served generations of families and carried more than a century of local history.

The case was eventually presented to a McMinn County jury.

In April 2026, Hickox was convicted of first-degree murder, arson and abuse of a corpse.

Midwest Safety said his sentence carries a mandatory minimum of 51 years before he can become eligible for parole, meaning he would be 87 years old at the earliest possible release date.

The investigation is notable for how quickly the meaning of the scene changed as more information came in.

Officers began the evening believing they were helping manage a major accidental fire, but the missing church secretary, the witness accounts and the evidence found after the flames were extinguished gradually revealed something much more serious.

What looked at first like a tragic loss of a historic church ultimately became a murder investigation built from small details that witnesses noticed before anyone understood their importance.