CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. — *WARNING: Details in this story may not be suitable for all readers. Viewer discretion is advised.*
Court documents shed more light on the death of a High Point University student who was found dead in a car in Tennessee.
According to an affidavit, on June 21 a woman called Kingsport Police Department and spoke with a lieutenant about what she believed was a homicide.
The woman, who lives in Chapel Hill, Tennessee said she met Michael Cadogan, who lives in High Point, on social media and has known him for about five years, according to an affidavit. She said she got a call around 5:30 a.m. from Cadogan asking for help. They switched the call to Facetime and Cadogan admitted to killing his girlfriend 19-year-old Gianna Delgado, the affidavit says. He then showed Delgado lying lifeless on the floor, according to the document.
The woman said Cadogan told her he and Delgado got into a fight over another man he thought Delgado was seeing, the affidavit says. After the call, the woman called police.
In a second call, the woman said she recorded with a third person present, Cadogan told her he went to Lowes and bought a large tub, put Delgado inside, and placed it in Delgado's white Dodge Caliber, according to the court document.
After the second call and with the lieutenant there, the woman spoke to Cadogan a third time. In that call, Cadogan said he cut Delgado’s hair before putting her body in the tub and he needed help getting rid of her body and the car, the affidavit says. The woman arranged to meet Cadogan at Fish Springs Marina to put Delgado’s body and her car in the Watauga Lake, according to the affidavit.
The lieutenant contacted the sheriff’s office and advised that they “be on the lookout” for the Caliber in the area of the marina. Deputies did not see Cadogan initially. While leaving the marina on a one-way road, a deputy saw the Caliber coming toward him, the affidavit said. The deputy stopped the driver and verified it was Cadogan.
Investigators said he had a glove on his left hand and through the window could see a large plastic tub that appeared to be big enough to hold a body, the affidavit says. The tub had a top on it and the lieutenant could not see what was inside.
After running the plates, investigators confirmed the car was registered to Delgado. Cadogan was read his rights and asked if he would answer any questions to which replied he wanted a lawyer, the affidavit says. Cadogan also denied investigators access to search the car, according to the document. The car was towed to a Carter County Sheriff’s Office storage facility.
Investigators got a search warrant and found a “large black tote” in the car, the affidavit says. Inside the tote was the body of a white female, later identified as Delgado.
Cadogan is charged with abuse of a corpse, with possible homicide charges pending from High Point Police.
Cadogan is being held in the Carter County Detention Center with no bond.