Naman Shrestha
In November 2022, when 22-year-old Jasmine disappeared all of a sudden, her loved ones reached out to the police, hoping to find her before it was too late. Tragically, their worst nightmare turned into reality when she was found brutally murdered. The case that shook the entire community is covered in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘The Pin at Apartment 210’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline.’ The documentary pieces together the investigation that followed, thanks to the insightful accounts of the police officers and Jasmine’s family and friends.
Jasmine Pace Was Doted on by Her Parents and Siblings
On May 29, 2000, in Chattanooga, southeastern Tennessee, Catrina and Travis Wayne Pace welcomed their baby girl, Jasmine Nicole Pace, into their lives. The couple was overjoyed upon Jasmine’s entry into their world as her infectious laughter, twinkling eyes and the pitter-patter of her feet filled their household with warmth. She was raised alongside her siblings, Travis Wayne Pace Jr., Gabby Pace, and Enoch Pace. As years went by, cracks developed in Catrina and Travis’ relationship, and they decided to separate. Later, Catrina met Scott Bean, and they fell for each other. After they tied the knot, the pair were blessed with a child — Aydan Bean. Together, Scott and Catrina showered all five of them with all their love while the kids also remained close to Travis. Family meant everything to the Paces; thus, they were shattered when they lost their beloved Travis Wayne Pace, AKA Austin, on August 31, 2016.
Troubled by the immense loss, the Paces kept his memories alive in their hearts as they tried to move on with their lives. Just like her other kids, Catrina was super proud of the free-spirited and bright individual Jasmine had grown up to be. The 22-year-old was compassionate and generous and knew exactly how to uplift anyone’s spirits. Her kindness was reflected in the pure love she bestowed upon her four cats; they were not pets but her family. Thus, it is not surprising that she was adored by the community and had many friends who were fascinated by her graceful personality. A friend’s friend, Jasmine always stood beside her people like a rock — through thick and thin. Sometime in 2022, she started dating her fellow college mate from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Jason Chen, whom she met on a dating app. Everything seemed to be going great in her life until November 23, 2022, when a tragedy struck the Pace household.
Jasmine Pace’s Remains Were Found Several Days After Her Disappearance
On that particular evening, Jasmine’s mother received a rather strange text from her daughter. Given that Thanksgiving was approaching, Catrina found it weird that she would decide to spend the remainder of the week at her friend’s place. The last time the mother saw the 22-year-old was near Tremont Street when she was leaving their house. The next day, Catrina did receive a text from Jasmine. A few days went by with no significant contact with Jasmine until a picture was shared on her Facebook account on November 26, featuring her donning clothes that contradicted her personal style. The caption of the post read: “Thanksgiving with my baby.” Alarm bells began ringing for her family, and they tried ringing her up but to no avail. Instead, they received multiple texts from Jasmine requesting them to leave her be.
Naturally, Catrina grew increasingly worried for her safety and used the MyChevy app to trace her daughter’s location. A few hours later, around 8:30 pm, Jasmine’s vehicle was found abandoned on Mountain Creek Road, particularly near Signal View Condominium complex. Frantically, she reported her daughter missing and the police and locals began looking for any trace of the young woman. Sadly, Travis and Catrina’s worst nightmares came true on December 1, 2022, when their daughter’s remains were discovered in a suitcase in the 1000 Block of Suck Creek Road. She was placed in a fetal position with her ankles handcuffed. The authorities revealed she was stabbed around 60 times in her head, neck, back, and arm, and her right jugular vein was severely injured. Autopsy reports confirmed the cause of death to be multiple stab wounds.
Jasmine Pace’s Killer Was Someone She Had Known For a Few Months
Soon after Jasmine Pace was reported missing by her parents, the authorities were notified that she had last spoken with her boyfriend, Jason Chen, on the phone for about 70 minutes, according to phone records. They also learned that she went to his apartment on Tremont Street, just off Frazier Avenue along Chattanooga’s North Shore. On November 27, 2022, police searched Jason’s apartment, where they found traces of blood on the living room floor, bedroom carpet, and bathroom grout. They also noticed blood splatter on the bathroom wall, broken glass, and several cleaning supplies.
According to video footage, Jason was spotted at Walgreens, Walmart, on November 23. On the same night, Jasmine’s car was located near Mountain Creek Road. Dissatisfied with the efforts of the police, Catrina broke into the potential crime scene three times and collected a few items, such as phones, tablets, and notebooks, to carry out her own investigation. By November 30, the investigators had enough evidence against Jason and arrested him at his family’s residence for the murder of Jasmine Pace. It was alleged that he had been sending messages and posting on social media from her phone on her behalf in order to avoid suspicion after the killing.
In the months that followed, the defense attorneys pushed to have the court suppress the evidence against Jason because of the contamination of the crime scene caused by the unauthorized presence of Jasmine’s mother, Catrina, on multiple occasions. However, their efforts were in vain. More than two years later, on January 13, 2025, Jason stood trial for his crimes. The prosecution claimed that the evidence was enough to prove that the defendant was responsible for the murder of the 22-year-old woman beyond any reasonable doubt. Jason refused to testify or defend himself in the trial. About a week later, on January 20, the jury found him guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and abuse of a corpse. The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
