MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — The body of a Meigs County Sheriff’s Office deputy was recovered Thursday evening after going missing late Wednesday.
WTVC reported that the body of Deputy Robert J. Leonard was recovered from the Tennessee River around 6:30 p.m., according to Meigs County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brian Malone.
Leonard responded to a reported disturbance on a highway bridge late Wednesday and reported he had taken someone into custody. District Attorney Russell Johnson said that the next transmission from Leonard heard by dispatchers was garbled, but may have mentioned water.
This prompted the sheriff’s office to conduct a countywide roll call of all deputies. A search began after Leonard never responded. Authorities said his phone last pinged near the Blythe Ferry Boat Ramp.
His patrol car was pulled from the water Thursday morning. A woman’s body was found in the backseat. The deputy was not inside and the car’s front window had been rolled down.
The woman has not yet been publicly identified. Both bodies will be taken to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
Leonard had recently graduated from the police academy and had started with the sheriff’s office just two months ago.
