The Tennessee deputy and father of five who was found dead in a submerged car alongside a suspect had just celebrated making his first arrest before the fatal crash.
Robert John “RJ” Leonard, Jr., 35, a rookie with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, sent his wife a text that said “arrest” Wednesday after nabbing his first suspect since joining the force in December, District Attorney Russell Johnson said.
Leonard’s wife sent a response, but the deputy’s phone did not appear to receive the message, Johnson explained.
A search was launched that night after further attempts to contact Leonard also failed, and crews found the deputy’s car upside down in the Tennessee River on Thursday.
Authorities found Leonard’s remains as well as those of Tabitha Smith, whom he was said to have arrested before the car plunged into the river.
Smith – whose body was found in the backseat of the vehicle – was taken into custody after Leonard responded to a disturbance call, WVLT-TV reported.
“It’s a hard time here for us today,” said Meigs County Sheriff’s Office Chief Brian Malone the day the bodies were recovered, according to WBIT-TV.
“Something we don’t ever deal with here in Meigs County. We’re a small, rural county, we’re not used to it,” he lamented.
Leonard allegedly said that he was taking a woman to the Meigs County jail before an incomplete transmission came in from his radio, the Tennessee Police Benevolent Association (TPBA) said.
He may have said “water” during the last contact, the TPBA explained.
Leonard did construction for most of his life before “recently moving to Tennessee to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer,” his obituary stated.
In addition to his wife, Christa, Leonard is survived by his five children.
On Valentine’s Day – the day of the accident – Leonard’s wife paid tribute to her husband, whom she called “the bomb to my diggity.”
“Thank you for always being my copilot in my crazy, unplanned adventures in life,” she wrote in the emotional post, which featured a photo of the couple showing off coordinating tattoos.
Just one day later, on Thursday, the grieving wife was forced to update her profile as a widow.
“My heart is breaking for my kids & I am just an absolute wreck,” she wrote.
“I will start reaching out when I can pull it together. For now all I can do is cry.”