DA: female body was handcuffed in back of deputy’s car

Both the woman and the deputy appeared to have drowned when the officer's car went into the Tennessee River

UPDATE: District Attorney Johnson says that the female victim in this incident is Tabitha Smith.

General Johnson also says that a crash reconstructionist with the Tennessee Highway Patrol will be analyzing chips from the airbag computers and the police vehicle’s black box to hopefully obtain data on the crash.

He says that the chips will have to be placed in a box of rice to dry them out.

They plan to release a preliminary crash report sometime next week, but will wait on data from the chips for a full report.

DECATUR, Tenn. (WDEF) – The District Attorney over Meigs County releases new information on the death of a deputy and a woman in his custody.

Dispatchers lost contact with Deputy Robert Leonard on a call Wednesday night.

He had just relayed that he took a woman into custody who was living under the Blythe Ferry bridge next to the Tennessee River.

Officials believe the deputy may have turned his vehicle into the river in the dark.

DA Russell Johnson now confirms that the woman’s body that was recovered in the vehicle was handcuffed, backing that theory.

They have not released the name of the woman until she can be identified and her relatives are notified.

Crews recovered the body of Deputy Leonard in the river Tuesday evening.