Reporter and Husband Found Dead After Toddler Opened Door for Grandfather

An Alabama community is reeling after a three-year-old boy led his grandfather into a horrifying scene — the bodies of his parents, well-known sports reporter Christina Chambers and her husband, Johnny Rimes.

The young boy, unharmed but alone inside the family’s Hoover home, reportedly opened the front door for his grandfather on Tuesday morning. Moments later, the man walked in and made the devastating discovery.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” neighbor Charles Maple told reporters. “The little boy answered the door. Then they went inside and found the bodies.”

According to the Hoover Police Department, investigators believe the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide. The 3-year-old child was inside the home at the time but was not injured.

Police were called after Chambers and Rimes failed to show up for a scheduled church event. “When they didn’t arrive, family got worried,” Maple said. “That’s when Johnny’s father drove over to check.”

Christina Chambers was a familiar face to sports fans across Alabama. A former WBRC 6 reporter, she built her reputation covering high school football, college athletics, and community sports. Her energy and warmth made her one of Birmingham’s most recognized local journalists.

“She had this rare gift,” former colleague Gillian Brooks said on-air during an emotional WBRC tribute. “Christina could make anyone feel like a friend within seconds.”

Chambers joined WBRC in 2015 and became a central part of its Sideline team — a Friday-night staple for high school football fans. She even covered races while running in them.

“She was unstoppable,” anchor Jeh Jeh Pruitt said. “Always smiling, always giving her best. Just last week, I hugged her at the Super 7. I told her I loved her.”

In 2021, Chambers left full-time broadcasting to teach journalism at Thompson High School. Her students adored her — and the Alabama Scholastic Press Association named her Advisor of the Year in 2024.

“She poured everything into her students,” said a former colleague. “She wanted them to find their voice the way she found hers.”

The couple had lived in their Hoover neighborhood for seven years. To outsiders, they appeared happy. But neighbors said the relationship seemed to shift after their son was born.

“Something wasn’t right,” Maple recalled. “I don’t know what it was, but things felt different. Still, this? None of us could have imagined this.”

Police have not yet released details about what led up to the apparent murder-suicide. The Hoover Police Department declined to comment further, citing an active investigation.

The couple’s child is now in the care of relatives, according to local reports.

At WBRC, the newsroom fell silent Tuesday night as colleagues aired a memorial segment in Chambers’ honor. Tears flowed as her coworkers remembered her laugh, her love of sports, and her devotion to family.

“She was light,” Brooks said softly. “And it’s hard to accept that she’s gone.”

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Source: Hoover Police Department, People Magazine, WBRC 6, Fox News Digital