CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Tenn. — Cumberland County deputies found a 66-year-old woman dead with a gunshot wound inside a home that burned down in Crossville near Lake Tansi.
According to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, Cumberland County fire crews responded to a home that was fully engulfed in flames at 1041 Flathead Road in Crossville on Dec. 3 around 3:15 a.m.
Deputies said firefighters found a 66-year-old woman dead inside the home, who they later identified as Gale Meister.
The District Attorney's Office and agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were called to help in the investigation. The Medical Examiner's Office determined she had died from a gunshot wound instead of from the fire.
Investigators said another person lived at the home with her. They said that person and Meister's vehicle were missing from the scene.
Investigators later identified the missing person as Frank Lackey, 57, from Nashville. A TBI special agent located Lackey driving Meister's vehicle in Rutherford County.
A Rutherford County deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the CCSO said Lackey shot himself in the head and took his own life before the deputy could approach.
The CCSO told WBIR 10News they believe Lackey was the one who shot Meister. Investigators are treating the incident as a domestic homicide, arson and suicide.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of Ms. Meister during this difficult time. We hope that the conclusion of this investigation will bring some measure of closure to the family and friends of Ms. Meister,” Sheriff Casey Cox said.