UPDATE: Funeral held for Marion woman while ‘person of interest’ connected to her case remains jailed in NC

A man identified as a person of interest in a Smyth County, Virginia homicide remains jailed in Surry County, North Carolina.

Jason Whittaker, 37, is currently facing one charge of assault with a deadly weapon for a machete attack in the Tar Heel state and is being held under a $500,000 bond.

Marion police were looking for Whittaker in connection to a Thursday house fire where the remains of Teresa Lynn Mathena Greer, 54, were discovered. An autopsy report is still being completed by medical examiners to determine her cause of death. Funeral services for Greer were held Tuesday.

No criminal charges have been filed against Whittaker in Virginia. He has a court hearing in Surry County scheduled for April 22nd.

(IMAGE: ST 929 ARCHIVES)