Body of missing Tennessee deputy recovered from river
Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Search and rescue crews found the body of a missing Tennessee sheriff's deputy Thursday evening.
Local news outlets reported the body of Meigs County Deputy Robert "R.J." Leonard was recovered from the Hiwassee River, according to the Meigs County Sheriff's Office.
Leonard, 35, disappeared after making an arrest Wednesday evening. He responded to a call about a woman and a man fighting on a bridge and took the woman into custody.
District Attorney Russell Johnson said Leonard then texted his wife about the arrest, then radioed to say he had a detainee and was bringing her to the county jail.
About 12 minutes later, Leonard radioed again sounding like he was in distress and presumably saying, "water." The sheriff's office lost contact with him after that, Johnson said.
Investigators found Leonard's squad car in the Hiwassee River Thursday morning. The driver's side window was open, and his body was not inside the car, but the body of a woman believed to be the arrestee was found in the back seat.
A rookie on the force, Leonard graduated from the police academy and had just started with the sheriff's office just two months ago.
During a press conference, a sheriff's office representative said Leonard's death was "a hard time for us here."
"[It's] something we don't ever deal with in Meigs county," the representative said. "We're a small, rural county here. Deputy Leonard had only been here a few months, but he had become part of this family."
Leonard leaves behind a wife and five children, according to officials.
