A honeymoon to Fiji ended in tragedy for a newlywed Memphis couple after the lifeless body of the 36-year-old bride was found in a hotel room at a Yasawa Islands resort earlier this month.
Investigators believe that on July 9, Christie Chen Dawson was slaughtered by her 38-year-old husband Bradley Robert Dawson who now stands accused of murder at a local jail.
Neighbors of the victim described how excited she was about the trip to Fiji; The woman was a pharmacist at a Kroger grocery store while Bradley worked for non-profit Youth Villages before the tragedy.
“Bradley Dawson was an IT professional at Youth Villages. He had been suspended pending further information,” the non-profit said in a statement.
“It is our understanding Ms. Chen was his wife, and our condolences go out to her family.”
A friend of the couple who met in 2015 and married last February said that she was “in shock.”
“I just texted all my friends and my husband, telling them I hope it’s not real. But my husband told me it is real. But my husband told me it is real. She was so excited to get married and have babies.”
