BENTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — An active homicide investigation is underway in a small Tennessee community after a hunter found dead on Tuesday.
Benton County Sheriff Kenny Christopher says the 55-year-old Timothy Ring had been shot multiple times at what appeared to be close range. His body was discovered on his rental property, some 25 yards away from his truck in the wood line.
“It’s just tragic that these things happen and you just have to ask yourself over and over, ‘Why?'” Sheriff Christopher said, shaking his head.
Sheriff Christopher called the act “cold-blooded.”
“He was shot. I’m going to say multiple shots. It was very gruesome. The fact of where it was, how he was left lying in the woods like that,” the sheriff trailed off.
Ring’s family said he last told them he was going to work on his deer stand. Hours later, they found his truck in the field, with his deer stand still in the back. His body was discovered by family after hearing his phone ring.
A hunter and a farmer, Sheriff Christopher said Ring was well known and liked in the community.
“Mr. Ring has lived in this area all of his life. I’ve known him all of his life. I don’t know of him having any enemies or anything like that. (He’s) pretty well thought-of in Benton County. Just a good guy, just not the kind of guy that you ever worried about getting into anything. You could leave anything with him. He was honest, hard-working,” he said.
Benton County investigators have been working the homicide case nonstop, with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
“I really, really feel sorry for the family at this time and they’re at a loss, and of course they are like any other family and they want results and they want them quick,” said Sheriff Christopher. “And we are doing the best we can on it and are going to continue to until we come up with an answer. We will get an answer before we are done.”
Investigators are asking everyone in the Lower Big Sandy Road area of Benton County to check their security and trail cameras from Oct.19 between 2 and 7 p.m. Anyone with information is urged to call the Benton County Sheriff’s Department’s anonymous tip line at 731-441-3519 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
