Monday was the 26th anniversary of the day two fishermen found the decomposed body of Errastus Gene Stump near the shore of Percy Priest Reservoir. Reports indicate his killer was arrested Wednesday in Bristol, Tenn., by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit.
Mac Ray MacFarlane (McFarlin), age 49, of Young Drive in Bristol, Virginia, was arrested on the job at Tri-City Extrusion just over the Tennessee state line by Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin and Detective Lt. Bill Sharp.
MacFarlane (McFarlin), whose name has been legally changed from Randy Ray McFarlin, was transported back to the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center by Deputies Jack Keisling and Randy Morrow of the sheriff’s fugitive squad.
The plant engineer will be held without bond on charges of first-degree murder until a preliminary hearing takes place within the next 10 days.
MacFarlane (McFarlin) worked with Stump at what was then Thompson & Green in La Vergne at 
the time of the murder.
Stump’s body was found on April 28, 1982 just under a month after he disappeared on March 29, 1982.
McFarlin was said to be a strong suspect at the time.
UPDATE
More on Sharp and Goodwin: Sharp and Goodwin were named as the sheriff’s Cold Case Unit last July and this case is one of more than a dozen open/unsolved murders they are working.
RCSO CID Detectives Mark DiNardo and Jim Tramel are currently prosecuting three people for a January 1982 murder. Information on that case came in last year before the Cold Case Unit was formed.
May 7, 2008 at 12:55 pm
this nut used to work at Hydro in Rockledge as a Plant eng
May 7, 2008 at 5:56 pm
geez
May 21, 2008 at 10:57 am
Mac worked with us in the Hydro plant in ellenville NY for over 3 years. He had a wife and 6 kids, never once did it cross my mind that he could be a murderer. But then again what does a murderer look like?
I am so sorry for his family and the family of the man he is accused of killing.
God help you Mac.
May 22, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I never liked the man much. He cheated on his wife, then left her for his assistant. He disrespected everyone that worked for him at time or another. Life comes full circle Mac.
June 4, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I have never met this man however I can not stand him. He is the man that may have killed my uncle in cold blood.
July 9, 2008 at 8:14 am
i once thought the same thing Debbie. what does a murderer look like? could my own father be a murderer? at times, this man was the coolest son of a bitch i had ever met. other times, i hated his guts. no one but us knows what it was like living with this man. as his son, i can say that we are all better off without him. i hope he is not shown one ounce of mercy. not just for the murder, but all the other things he ever did to anyone and wasnt punished for. i love my father, but i hate what he is.
July 11, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Worked for this guy for 3 months and never liked him , he was the reason I transfered. He played favorites to the ones he drank with every night. He would feed off others and take credit when not desirved , what an Ass . I’m glad his ex-wife turned him. I pray for the ones he hurt thou they didn’t ask for the distruction he has left behind.
March 4, 2009 at 6:31 am
i partway agree with you nick. my sister, mom, and i had lived with this man for 12 years and i’ve seen the ups and downs he had. he would be so cool at times and other times, the most terrifying monster i had ever known. the reason i never moved in with my father is because i tried to make myself believe i was happy, reguardless of the stupid bullshit he would pull on a daily basis. he bought me my first car at 15, he taught me how to drive a manual, he bought me damn near everything i wanted, so i tried to believe i was happy. as much as i fucking hate this god-forsaken son of a bitch and as much as i would love to verbally rip his ass apart on here, i will admit that i was happy in a couple of ways. for one, i can now drive a manual stick shift anytime, anywhere. for another, i gained some of the most thoughtful, loving brothers and sisters through him.
i feel horrible for the family of mr. stump and i pray for them. i just feel awful for the hardships he put mr. stump’s family through and i hope they will feel closure for his arrest. god bless
October 6, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Hello all….well I am sure my name must look very familiar. Maybe not to all, but to most. I do not truly care to comment on anything that has taken place. I do feel sorry for the family and if he is the person that committed this terrible act this YES he should be judged by his piers and pay for the act. However, I would like to add this, remember we are all innocent until proven guilty. Now I worked with him for many years and met his family and loved them all. I would like to connect with those ones I knew, you all know who you are and you can contact me. If you are the ones I am looking to talk with to try and connect please do so by emailing me at steve******(last name)@aol.com.