The tragic discovery of a beloved Alabama sports reporter and her husband, found lifeless earlier this week, was made by the couple’s 3-year-old son who led his grandfather to the scene.
Authorities from the Hoover Police Department revealed that the bodies of Christina Chambers, a former sports reporter for WBRC 6, and Johnny Rimes were found in their Hoover residence on Tuesday morning. The incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide.
Fortunately, the young child present at the home during the incident was unharmed, according to police reports.
Neighbors recounted that Rimes’ father came by the house shortly after 9 a.m., concerned when the couple failed to attend a planned church gathering, as shared by neighbor Charles Maple with People magazine.
The former reporter, Christina Chambers, leaves behind her 3-year-old son who was discovered safe following the tragic events on December 16, 2025, at their home in Hoover, Alabama.
Upon arriving at the residence, Rimes’ father was met at the door by the little boy, who then brought him inside.
“The child answered the door,” Maple told the outlet, citing investigators. “And then they went back [into the home], and they found the bodies.”
“It is heartbreaking,” Maple added.
The Hoover Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Former Alabama sports reporter Christina Chambers and her husband, Johnny Rimes, were found dead inside their family home in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (WBRC 6)
The couple moved to the Hoover-area neighborhood seven years ago, according to the neighbor, who also reportedly added that they seemed happy in their relationship.
However, after their child was born, Maple said that “something wasn’t right” between the couple, according to People.
“I was so shocked, but for some reason, I don’t know why, I wasn’t totally surprised,” Maple reportedly said.
On Tuesday night, Chambers’ former WBRC 6 colleagues aired an emotional tribute to their colleague, highlighting both her life and legacy as a journalist and educator.
“Christina Chambers had a beautiful ability to naturally feel like a friend immediately,” reporter Gillian Brooks said, according to the New York Post.
Former Alabama sports reporter Christina Chambers reportedly left broadcast journalism to pursue a career in teaching. (WBRC 6)
“Many at WBRC are in shock that they are talking about Christina, this bright light, in the past tense,” Brooks added. “However, the WBRC family is reflecting on the impact she will have on their lives forever.”
Chambers reportedly joined the news station in 2015 and became a central figure on its “Sideline” program, which provides primetime coverage of local sports in the area. Throughout her tenure, she provided live coverage of various sporting events from the field. That included anchoring the very marathons she was running, WBRC 6 reported.
After leaving her full-time role at the station to pursue a teaching career in July 2021, she continued to freelance for the station’s coverage of the 2025 football season.
Chambers later went on to work as a broadcast journalism teacher at Thompson High School, where she was honored as the 2024 Advisor of the Year by the Alabama Scholastic Press Association, according to WBRC 6.
“She was one of the sweetest, most loving people that I know,” WBRC 6 News Anchor, Jeh Jeh Pruitt reportedly said. “She was relentless with running, loving her son, and loving life. I am glad I got a chance to hug and tell her I love her a week ago at the Super 7. I am so sorry for her family, the Chambers and Thompson Families, and her WBRC Family.”
