A sheriff's deputy from Robertson County in Tennessee, Savanna Puckett was found dead with a gunshot wound inside her burning home on Sunday, January 23 night. She was 22 years old. According to Robertson County Sheriff's Office, another deputy was sent to Puckett's home on Highway 41N in Springfield to check in on her Sunday night after she did not report for her shift. The deputy found flames rising from her house.
The deputy was unable to go inside due to the fire. Puckett was found dead inside by the firefighters. The cause of Puckett's death was not clear at the moment. The cause and origin of the fire were being investigated as of Monday.
A 27-year-old man, James Jackson Conn was arrested in connection with Puckett's death. He is charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. TBI noted that Conn was Puckett's acquaintance. He was booked into jail late Monday afternoon and was being held without bond.
"The investigation remains active and ongoing, and we'll provide more details as soon as we're able to do so," TBI wrote in a statement on Monday afternoon. Smyrna resident, Conn was arrested after an hours-long standoff at his home during the execution of a search warrant.
The motive behind Conn's actions was not clear at the moment.
'Savanna Puckett was tough, courageous, kind, compassionate'
According to an RCSO statement, Savanna Puckett started working for the sheriff's office as a corrections officer in 2017. She worked in the patrol division in May 2020 and graduated from Walter State Law Enforcement Academy the same year. "Savanna 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," the statement read.
