Tennessee mother details 16-year struggle to recover daughter's remains

May Martinez, the mother of Colleen Slemmer, has detailed a 16-year struggle to recover her daughter’s remains following Slemmer’s 1995 murder in Knoxville, Tennessee. Slemmer, then 19, was killed by fellow Job Corps student Christa Pike, who remains the only woman on Tennessee’s death row.

In the documentary ‘Christa Pike’s Last Fight to Stop Her Execution’, Martinez describes a pattern of institutional mishandling by Tennessee authorities and the University of Tennessee. Martinez stated that the trauma began during the 1996 trial when she was confronted with graphic evidence, such as her daughter’s skull, without warning.

After years of advocacy, Martinez eventually secured the return of Slemmer’s skull. However, she reported that the University of Tennessee subsequently sent additional anatomical remains to her home in cardboard boxes without prior notice or explanation. Martinez described receiving various body parts, including facial features and skin, which she said compounded her grief and trauma.