What happened to Robert Leonard? Missing Meigs County deputy found dead hours after patrol car located in Tennessee river

The body of a missing Meigs County sheriff's deputy, Robert Leonard, was found hours after his patrol car was located in the Tennessee River, ABC reported. Deputy Robert Leonard disappeared on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, after taking a woman into custody around 10 pm. He is believed to have crashed into the Tennessee River while escorting her to jail.

Early Thursday morning, Leonard’s patrol vehicle was recovered from the Tennessee River in an area on the border of Meigs and Hamilton counties, with a woman's body in the back seat, The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

The Meigs County Sheriff's Department rookie Robert Leonard was not found in the mud-filled car with the driver-side window down at the time. Leonard's body was later found and taken to the Knoxville Regional Medical Examiner’s Office by motor units with the HCSO, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Chattanooga Police Department, officials said in the online post.

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Details of Missing Meigs County deputy Robert Leonard's disappearance explored

According to ABC, Meigs County sheriff's deputy Robert Leonard responded to a report of a man and woman fighting on the Highway 60 bridge near the Birchwood Community on Wednesday night and took the woman into custody around 10 pm. Authorities began searching for Leonard when he failed to respond to a status check after arresting the woman.

District Attorney General Russell Johnson stated during a press conference that the constable last communicated with authorities via radio at 10:03 p.m. There was some disruption that prevented the dispatch from hearing the constable.

Shortly after, using voice analysis tools investigators determined the deputy said “water,” before they lost all communication. The deputy also reportedly texted his wife that read "arrest." Johnson said she responded, but his phone never got the message.

Johnson said due to the deputy's proximity to the river when he responded to the disturbance, the search for him was centered in the area where his phone also pinged before the disappearance.

Early Thursday, the deputy’s car was found in the river with the body of the female inside. Authorities said they believe the woman in the car, was the suspect who was taken into custody Wednesday night. They are currently working on identifying the victim. Meanwhile, Leonard was found dead hours after his car was recovered.

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Authorities believe Meigs County deputy Robert Leonard's death was accidental

In the press conference, District Attorney General Russell Johnson said they believe the incident was an accident. Johnson hypothesized Robert Leonard, who was using his phone while driving, may have missed a turn and landed in water as he was not familiar with the area. Jonson said:

“We’re operating under the theory that it was an accident. He missed his turn, he wasn’t familiar, and he was doing other things that may have caused him to go into the water. There are some skid marks and some scratch marks, too. So there’s some indication that he was on the brakes at least trying to stop.”

According to Meigs County Sheriff Jackie Melton, cited in ABC, the late deputy who was assigned to the night shift joined the force in December 2023 after graduating from the training academy.

According to Tennessean, Melton, who was visibly upset by the ordeal, asked for prayers and privacy for the victim’s family.