Missing Georgia firefighters found dead in baffling circumstances: police
The bodies of two Georgia firefighters who recently broke off their relationship were found on Sunday in Tennessee, more than one week after they went missing, officials said.
The Hinesville Police Department confirmed the discovery of Raegan Anderson, 25, and her ex-boyfriend, Chandler Kuhbander, 24, in Cocke County, about 450 miles north of their hometown. Anderson's vehicle was found nearby.
Kuhbander's mother, Jane Kuhbander, told Court TV last week that they had been together for more than seven years before ending the "toxic" union.
Anderson, Jane said, struggled to accept the end of the relationship and repeatedly threatened to kill herself.
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Her son, she said, had gone on a date with another woman on June 23, the day before he disappeared, and Anderson allegedly found his car and keyed it.
She was arrested for the crime and later bonded out. Anderson believed she was likely to lose her job with the fire department and expressed her spiraling fears to Kuhbander.
The following day, Kuhbander went to work out at a Crunch Fitness center in Savannah, Georgia, and planned to later attend his younger sister's birthday party.
Surveillance cameras show Anderson circling the parking lot outside several times while he was inside, the mother said.
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He eventually exited the gym and began heading to his car, the video shows.
However, the mother said she believes he got into her 2017 Ford Focus under "duress" – and was never heard from again.
Prior to the discovery of the bodies, she told the network that Anderson was not in the right "head space" and wrote a suicide note to her son the day before they vanished.
In a Facebook post, she described Anderson as a "danger to herself and [her son] is believed to not be with her willingly."
Despite their breakup, Kuhbander continued to try to comfort Anderson but was sometimes forced to plead with her to stop harassing him.
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"He's very driven to do the right thing and make sure people are safe," she told Court TV. "He really does care about Raegan."
Days later, they were both found dead.
An autopsy will be performed on the Liberty County firefighters to determine their manner of death.
"Details pertaining to the discovery of their bodies, vehicle and events leading to their deaths are not available at this time," police said after the bodies were found.
Kuhbander's shattered sister wrote a tribute to her sibling on Facebook.
"Trying to find the words to say goodbye but i can’t. It’s tearing me apart to even think about not having you here. Never in my life did I think I would have to be doing life without you," she wrote. "It’s always been my two big brothers but now it’s just me and Xander. We will honor you in every way possible. No one will ever not know who you are and how good of a person you are. I love you forever bub."
Ashley Papa contributed to this report.