A three-year-old boy opened the front door of his family’s home on Tuesday morning and unknowingly led his grandfather to a horrific discovery inside. Christina Chambers, 38, a former sports reporter at WBRC Fox 6 News, and her husband, Johnny Rimes Jr., 41, were found with gunshot wounds inside their Hoover, Alabama, home around 9 a.m. on December 16, 2025. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, while their son Constantine was physically unharmed.
The grandfather, identified as Rimes’ father, arrived at the home after the couple failed to show up for a church event that morning. Neighbor Charles Maple, 80, said investigators told him the child answered the door and then led his grandfather back into the home, where the bodies were found. Hoover police are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide, and the coroner classified it as a reported domestic assault. Authorities have not disclosed who initiated the violence or what type of weapon was used.
Maple had lived near the family for about seven years and said they initially appeared to be a happy couple. However, he noticed something seemed off after their son was born. He told People magazine he was shocked by the news but admitted he was not totally surprised. Despite his concerns, he said he never witnessed Chambers express fear for her own safety or for her child during that time.
Chambers was a Cullman, Alabama, native and 2006 Cullman High School graduate who earned a journalism degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she competed as a four-year Division 1A scholarship athlete in cross country and track. Her broadcast career began at WLTZ in Columbus, Georgia, before she moved to Comcast Sports Southeast in Atlanta to serve as Auburn University’s beat reporter. She later worked at WAKA in Montgomery and joined WBRC in Birmingham in 2015, where she quickly became a central figure on the station’s Friday night high school football program, “Sideline.”
An accomplished distance runner, Chambers was a three-time Boston Marathon finisher who had planned to compete again in 2026. She most recently ran the 2025 Rome Marathon and frequently helped anchor coverage of the Mercedes Marathon while running the race herself.
In July 2021, Chambers left full-time television work to teach broadcast journalism at Thompson High School in Alabaster. Her impact on students was immediate and lasting. In 2024, her students nominated her for the Alabama Scholastic Press Association’s Advisor of the Year award, which she won. Under her guidance, her THS TV Broadcast Team earned the Alex House Journalism Sustainability Award in 2025, and she mentored two Alabama Journalists of the Year while leading students to a SkillsUSA State Championship in Broadcast News.
Chambers continued freelancing for WBRC’s football coverage during the 2025 season and worked as a sideline reporter for the Alabama High School Athletic Association. She most recently held a position in corporate communications at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama.
Her former WBRC colleague, anchor Jeh Jeh Pruitt, remembered her fondly. “She was one of the sweetest, most loving people that I know,” Pruitt 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.”
AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon released a statement offering thoughts and prayers to Chambers’ family, especially her son, and praised her contributions to the AHSAA TV Network. He said her passion for teaching broadcasting to students would be long-lasting. Auburn basketball coach Steven Pearl, who knew Chambers through her sports reporting, described her as a light, a beacon, and a luminary. He extended an open invitation for her son to attend Auburn basketball games whenever he wishes.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support Constantine’s educational expenses and future academic opportunities. As of Thursday, more than $25,000 had been raised toward a $150,000 goal.
Maple, reflecting on his neighbor, described her as a beautiful person and a great athlete. He said that in his 80 years, he has met many people, but some individuals just have something special about them. Chambers, he said, was one of those people.
Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, December 22. The Hoover Police Department’s investigation remains ongoing.
