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UPDATE: Passerby found Bledsoe detective’s body this morning

Bledsoe County Sheriff Jimmy Morris, center with black cowboy hat, talks with TBI Director Mark Gwyn, to Morris' right, as agents process the scene where Bledsoe County Sheriff's Investigator Ricky Seals was found dead this morning. The TBI is calling the probe a "death investigation" at this early stage. Bledsoe County Sheriff Jimmy Morris, center with black cowboy hat, talks with TBI Director Mark Gwyn, to Morris' right, as agents process the scene where Bledsoe County Sheriff's Investigator Ricky Seals was found dead this morning. The TBI is calling the probe a "death investigation" at this early stage.

By Ben Benton March 17, 2015 1 min read

Ricky Seals

The body of Ricky Seals, longtime investigator for the Bledsoe County Sheriff’s Office, was found by a passerby at about 3:15 a.m. today on a gravel road north of Pikeville, authorities have confirmed.

Seals’ body was found on the ground beside his Jeep Wrangler on the road that runs between old Tennessee Highway 28 and U.S. Highway 27.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine said the case is a death investigation, but he did not say it was a homicide or specify what injuries were noted on the body.

DeVine said Seals had lived in Bledsoe County his entire life. Family members at the scene were in tears, as were a number of deputies.

The TBI is leading the investigation at the behest of 12th District Attorney General Mike Taylor.

Authorities ask anyone with any information about the death to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.

This is a developing story. Stay with the Times Free Press for more details.