MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. — UPDATE (7:24 p.m.): District Attorney Russell Johnson announced they have found Meigs County Deputy RJ Leonard's body Thursday evening.
DA Johnson said Leonard's body was found at 6:40 p.m. by Meigs County EMS and Rescue Squad. His body was submerged near where the cruiser was removed, DA Johnson said.
The Hamilton County and Monroe County dive teams, the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, assisted in finding Leonard's body.
The Sweetwater Police Department said it was one of several agencies that helped transport his body.
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District Attorney Russell Johnson said multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for a Meigs County deputy after his cruiser was found in the Hiwassee River Thursday afternoon.
"It's a hard time here for us today," Meigs County Sheriff's Office Chief Brian Malone said. "Something we don't ever deal with here in Meigs County. We're a small, rural county, we're not used to it."
On Wednesday night, Meigs County Sheriff's Office Deputy Robert "R.J." Leonard was at home when he took a call, Johnson said during a Thursday morning press conference.
"He took a call that there was a passerby on the Highway 60 bridge, near the Birchwood community, that saw—I think we've heard two different stories, maybe two different calls—either a man jumping in and out of traffic or a man and a woman on the bridge that seemed to be fighting," Johnson said.
Leonard responded to the call and arrived at the scene around 9:48 p.m. Nine minutes later, he radioed that he was taking a person to the county jail, according to Johnson.
The DA said that there are multiple routes back to the county jail and emphasized that cell and radio signals in that area are not good.
Around 12 minutes later, in a radio communication, dispatchers reported that they heard something they couldn't understand. Officials used some "analytics" to try and understand what was being said and they believe Leonard was saying "water," according to Johnson.
At the same time, Johnson said that Leonard also texted his wife the word "arrest." His wife texted him back, however, his phone never received that text.
Dispatch then performed a status check with all Meigs County deputies. Every deputy responded except for Leonard, according to Johnson.
Over the next several hours, agencies began responding to help locate Leonard.
"Nobody knows what to do but go out and start looking," Johnson said.
The DA said officials used technology to track Leonard's last cellphone ping near Blythe Ferry Lane, which is a dead-end road that leads straight into the Hiwassee River.
Because of this, TWRA crews began searching the river and located a vehicle in the water, according to Johnson.
As of 12:50 p.m. Thursday, the vehicle was taken out of the water. The vehicle that was found was faced down, wheels up, in the water with the trunk open, which happens on impact, according to DA Johnson.
He later confirmed in a press conference that the vehicle was Leonard's cruiser. After recovering the vehicle, authorities found a body in the backseat covered in mud but no one in the front seat. DA Johnson said they believe the body is the female suspect.
When the vehicle was recovered, they saw the driver's side window was rolled down. It is unclear if Deputy Leonard rolled down the window before the cruiser hit the river or after.
The landing at the end of Blythe Ferry Lane used to be a ferry landing. Johnson said it's used now to put boats in the water.
"So, you've got a concrete area, as you would imagine going in into the water, the pavement leading up to it, there are obviously visible skid marks and other marks that would indicate maybe something consistent with what's going on in the water," Johnson said.
People have gone into the water accidentally in this same area somewhat frequently, according to Johnson.
"An individual went into the water in this very same location about a month ago, who survived and was recovered," Johnson said.
If it's confirmed that Leonard went into the river accidentally, the Tennessee Highway Patrol would take over the investigation, according to Johnson.
"You would like to hope that this is not the case, but if it is—like it seems to be, there's no other explanation for where the deputy would be at this point," Johnson said.
Judge Casey Stokes said the area can be dangerous, especially at night and for people who aren't familiar with the area.
Leonard graduated from the academy in December, according to an official at the press conference. He was originally from New York, but just moved down to Meigs County.
"It can be a very dangerous spot for folks that aren't local," Stokes said.
This story is ongoing and we will update you as we learn more.