Son Allegedly Beat Mom to Death as Step-Dad Watched Before They Burned the Body — Then They Claimed She Was Out of Country

A Tennessee teenager and his stepfather appeared before a judge this week, accused in the gruesome killing of his mother, whose burned body was discovered in the family’s backyard in October.

Officers went to a home in Graysville, Tenn., on Oct. 28 to check on 50-year-old Silvia Vilchez after she was reported missing, according to the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office.

Silvia’s husband, 64-year-old David Gardiner, and her 18-year-old son, Gabriel Vilchez, told authorities she was in Costa Rica, where she was originally from, according to an arrest report cited by ABC 7 and testimony from a preliminary hearing on Monday, Dec. 8, reported by Costa Rica’s Tico Times.

Investigators quickly grew suspicious about the circumstances of Silvia’s disappearance, the sheriff’s office said.

Two days later, on Oct. 30, a search of the property led investigators to charred human remains in the backyard, which were later identified as Silvia’s, according to officials.

During Monday’s hearing, which was live-streamed by Local 3 News, a law enforcement official testified that investigators found an office room inside the house with reddish-brown stains and blood spatter on the walls, desk and printer.

In an interview during the investigation, Gabriel allegedly told police he beat his mother with a bat in that office and then dragged her body to a fire pit, the officer testified.

In a subsequent interview, Gabriel allegedly claimed that Gardiner — his stepfather — was present while Silvia was being beaten, and that Gardiner also struck her with the bat, according to the testimony.

Gabriel allegedly said that after the assault, they took Silvia’s body to the fire pit and burned it.

Gardiner, however, told police he had been asleep when Silvia was killed and denied any involvement, the officer said in court.

The killing has devastated Silvia’s relatives and local community.

Her nephew told Tico Times that Silvia brought Gabriel to the United States to give him a better life and to get away from difficulties they faced in Costa Rica, where Gabriel reportedly had a strained relationship with his biological father.

“She raised him and gave him everything,” her nephew, Olman Mena, told the outlet, adding that Gabriel had a troubled past and had been reported at school for aggressive behavior.

Silvia, who was affectionately known as “Gaby,” was remembered as a warm and uplifting presence in her church.

“If you ever got to know her a little bit, your life was always enriched,” Lewis Chapel Church of God Pastor Jeff Smith told Local 3 News. “She was the type of person who doesn’t leave you the same or empty whenever you see her the next time. It’s a joy.”

Authorities have not publicly shared a possible motive for the killing.

Gabriel and Gardiner are both charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, according to the sheriff’s office.

Information about their pleas or legal representation was not immediately available. A judge set Gardiner’s bond at $250,000 and ordered that Gabriel be held without bail, Tico Times reported.