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Man charged in death of woman whose body was found at Butler Memorial Bridge

By Robert Sorrell

A man accused of dumping a Johnson City woman’s body in Watauga Lake has been charged with murder.

Investigators with the Johnson City Police Department officially charged Steven Odell Bennett, 31, 1612 Orleans St., Johnson City, Friday afternoon with second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.

The JCPD began an investigation into the disappearance of Vonda Donaldson, 28, last Sunday. She had last been seen by her family last Saturday. As investigators began interviewing witnesses, the investigation revealed that Donaldson was possibly the victim of a homicide.