The body of a deputy who disappeared after making an arrest has been recovered, authorities said Thursday night.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee confirmed in a Facebook post that following a search with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, the body of Deputy Robert “R.J.” Leonard had been found hours after his vehicle was located in a river.
“His remains are currently being escorted to the Knoxville Regional Medical Examiner’s Office by motor units with the HCSO, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Chattanooga Police Department,” the HCSO said in the post.
Authorities had been searching for the deputy after he failed to respond to a status check after taking a woman into custody around 10 p.m. local time on Wednesday, officials previously said.
Early Thursday, Leonard’s patrol vehicle was found and pulled from the Tennessee River in an area on the border of Meigs and Hamilton counties, officials said.