Savanna Puckett: Tennessee cop found shot dead inside burning home, suspect in custody
ROBERTSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE: Savanna Puckett, 22, a sheriff's deputy from Robertson County in Tennessee was discovered dead inside her burning home with a gunshot wound. The male suspect accused of her murder was apprehended on January 24, Monday. Puckett did not show up for work, which is why a coworker went to check on her and discovered her home was on fire, according to the Robertson County Sheriff's Office. Later, Puckett's corpse was discovered inside by firefighters. She had been shot and was declared dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.
Officials stated Puckett was working in the sheriff's office for the last four years. In a statement, Sheriff Michael Van Dyke stated, “Words cannot express the sadness and grief that Savanna's family and her Sheriff's Office family are facing right now. This is a tragedy that we are processing minute by minute.” When Puckett failed to show up for her appointed duty at 5 pm on January 23, Sunday, a fellow deputy was dispatched to her home on Highway 41N in Springfield to do a welfare check and discovered the house engulfed in flames, according to a media statement from the sheriff's office. The deputy tried to enter the burning house but was unable to do so due to the extent of the flames.
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When firemen arrived at the site, they entered the house and discovered Puckett's corpse. Later, officers from the Smyrna Police Department arrived at an address on Odom Street on January 24, Monday morning to execute a search warrant, prompting an hours-long standoff between the male suspect and police. Police used loudspeakers to pull the guy out of his home, according to reports. The standoff was finally broken about 11.30 am when the suspect was apprehended by police. James Conn, a Smyrna man, has been arrested and charged in connection to Puckett's death and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson.
Puckett began her career with the sheriff's office as a corrections officer in 2017, at the age of 18, and was promoted to the patrol division in May 2020. She graduated from the Walter State Law Enforcement Academy in September of that year. Puckett was regarded by her coworkers as a "mother hen" who cared about her coworkers despite her young age. The sheriff's statement read, "Savanna was the one who always showed up early to her shift with a smile on her face. She was a mother hen to us all, and frequently cooked meals and baked goodies for her shift. She was tough, courageous, kind, compassionate, and had an infectious personality that will always be remembered."