Tanner’s death appears suspicious: Murder probe launched in car dealer’s death
|
The victim, Junior Tanner, 57, proprietor of J.R. Auto Sales on Highway 108 (Viola Highway) was found inside the charred remains of his trailer, located next to his sales yard, just after 6 a.m. Tuesday.
An autopsy is to be conducted after the crime scene probe is complete. Lawmen hope the autopsy results will reveal if they are working on an accidental fire fatality or a case of foul play.
During the initial probe, it was first thought an accidental fire may have been sparked by a space heater found inside the trailer where Tanner was living alone. However, circumstances soon turned the case into a possible homicide investigation.
According to District Attorney General Dale Potter, investigators have not yet ruled Tanner’s death an accident or murder.
“It appears to be suspicious but we won’t know for sure if foul play was involved until we get the autopsy results and the evidence teams are through with their investigation,” Potter said. “Given the circumstances, we thought it best to work the case as a homicide and call in both the TBI crime lab and fire marshal’s special operations team. But, for right now, we can’t say for sure whether it was an accident or foul play.”
According to Tanner’s son, Marty Tanner, who was called to the scene by authorities after the discovery of his father’s body, a trail of blood drops were found near the office of the car dealership, giving lawmen the first indication Mr. Tanner’s death may have not been accidental. Investigators, however, point out they are not sure the droplets, of what appears to be blood, are related to Mr. Tanner’s death.
In addition to the blood, investigators learned the victim had just returned from a restaurant where he had bought breakfast sometime after 5 a.m., meaning he was awake in the minutes leading up to the fire. This downplays the possibility the fire was touched off accidentally while he slept. His family also said Mr. Tanner was a “light sleeper.”
“I don’t know why somebody would do something like this. He never hurt anyone,” said Marty Tanner, as he watched investigators work at the crime scene Tuesday morning. “It seems like this always happens to the good folks.”
Adding to the mystery is the fact the driver’s side door on the victim’s vehicle was left open, something his family said the victim would have never done. Mr. Tanner was said to always lock his car doors, even if he was just running inside his own home for a few minutes. Several coins were also found lying on the ground near the trailer, something the family said was highly unusual.
Given the mysterious nature of Mr. Tanner’s death, mobile crime labs from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Fire Marshal’s office were called in to collect potential evidence at the scene. Numerous friends and relatives waited outside the roped-off crime scene all day, awaiting word on what happened. The crime scene investigation was continuing deep into the afternoon Tuesday.
“You read about this stuff in the newspapers and see it on TV and you always think it just happens to other folks,” said Joyce Tanner, who is the victim’s sister-in-law. “Now people will be reading it about us.”