A vehicle has been found in the Tennessee River at Blythe Ferry Road where a deputy and a female arrestee went missing on Wednesday night.
The vehicle was pulled from the water just after noon on Thursday. Officials said there was a body recovered in the back seat of the vehicle, believed to be the woman Deputy Robert J. Leonard had arrested. Her name has not been released but authorities have been in contact with her family. Police said the vehicle was overturned and there was a lot of mud inside.
The body of Deputy Leonard was recovered around 6:30 p.m. The front window on his vehicle was down, said authorities.
Authorities said it was the first arrest for Deputy Leonard, who moved here from out of town and was not familiar with the roads.
Efforts were being made to lift the vehicle out of the water.
Authorities said the deputy texted his wife around 9 p.m. "arrest."
A later garbled communication from the deputy sounded like "water," it was stated.
The old road is now used mainly by fishermen putting in boats. Authorities said it is a dangerous spot and other cars have gone off into the river multiple times before, as recent as last month.
Deputy Leonard is the father of three children.
He had responded to a call about a possible disorder on the Highway 60 bridge.