On Thursday, February 15, police reported on Facebook that they had recovered a missing deputy sheriff’s body.

Deputy Robert R.J. Leonard’s body was retrieved from the Tennessee River, as announced by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee. This marked the end of a comprehensive search operation.

Deputy Leonard vanished following an arrest he conducted late Wednesday night. His submerged car was uncovered in the river dividing Meigs and Hamilton counties early Thursday, thanks to a joint operation by authorities from the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office.

Leonard responded to a disturbance involving a man and a woman on a bridge shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14. After arresting the woman, Leonard failed to report to dispatch, which triggered an immediate search. His located vehicle, flipped over in the water with the driver’s side window open, was found to contain the woman’s body, covered in mud, in the backseat. Leonard’s body was recovered shortly afterward.

Multiple law enforcement entities participated in the recovery mission, including the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Chattanooga Police Department. The latter escorted Leonard’s remains to the Knoxville Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

Initial findings suggest the incident was accidental. District Attorney Russell Johnson highlighted the hazardous nature of the landing near the bridge, suggesting that Leonard, potentially distracted and unfamiliar with the area, could have unintentionally driven into the river. This theory is partly based on Leonard’s last known communications: a text to his wife stating “Arrest,” and an unclear subsequent radio transmission to dispatch interpreted as “Water.”

Leonard, originally from New York, had joined the force after graduating from the training academy in December. Meigs County Sheriff Jackie Melton commended Leonard’s excellent work on the night shift. The department, represented by Meigs County Chief Deputy Brian Malone, is deeply saddened by Leonard’s loss, highlighting his integration into their law enforcement family.

The incident has initiated conversations about the safety of the area, particularly for those unfamiliar with its geographical features. A similar event occurred several weeks earlier when a woman was rescued from the same vicinity.

Leonard is survived by his wife and three children living in nearby Roane County.