Sports reporter’s 3-year-old opened door for grandpa who then found couple dead in home: report

The 3-year-old son of a beloved Alabama sports reporter and her husband who were found dead earlier this week reportedly led his grandfather into the family’s home to discover the tragic scene. 

The bodies of Christina Chambers, a former WBRC 6 sports reporter, and her husband, Johnny Rimes, were discovered inside the family’s Hoover home on Tuesday morning in what authorities believe to be a murder-suicide, according to the Hoover Police Department. 

The 3-year-old was also at the home at the time of the incident, but was unharmed, police said. 

Rimes’ father visited the couple’s home shortly after 9 a.m., after the pair did not show up at a pre-scheduled church event, neighbor Charles Maple told People. 

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When he arrived at Chambers and Rimes’ front door, he was reportedly greeted by the boy who subsequently let him into the home. 

“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.

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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. 

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“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.

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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.”