Body of missing Tennessee deputy who disappeared after making arrest recovered: Officials

The body of a deputy who disappeared after making an arrest has been recovered, authorities said Thursday night.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee confirmed in a Facebook post that following a search with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, the body of Deputy Robert "R.J." Leonard had been found hours after his vehicle was located in a river.

…

Authorities had been searching for the deputy after he failed to respond to a status check after taking a woman into custody around 10 p.m. local time on Wednesday, officials previously said.

…

Multiple agencies will investigate how the vehicle ended up in the water. However, Johnson noted that the deputy, a native of New York, appeared to be texting and radioing while driving in a poorly lit area he was unfamiliar with.