A Tennessee woman who told her family she had reconnected with an old boyfriend was later found dead in a shallow grave, according to her relatives and authorities.
The Maury County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed that 30-year-old Savannah Pierce was found dead. Authorities are investigating her death, and her family has shared who they believe is responsible.
Pierce, a mother of three, moved around August from Williamson County, Tennessee, to neighboring Maury County. Both counties lie just south of Nashville.
Her mother, Aleta Peters, told regional WSMV that her daughter had recently said she was back in touch with an old boyfriend. Peters added that the couple had a history of drug problems.
On Sept. 14, the boyfriend took Pierce to a hospital after she cut her hand on scrap metal, her mother said. That visit reportedly took place only hours before the victim died.
Authorities have not identified the boyfriend or announced any charges in the case. Still, Peters believes she knows what happened to her daughter.
“They got into an argument and he beat her half to death and then shot her,” she told the TV station. “Shot her in the bedroom. She came out of the bedroom, walked down the steps, was asking for help, went out on the porch and laid down on the porch and died. They wouldn’t call for help.”
According to WSMV, Sept. 7 was the last day Pierce was in contact with her family. Peters said she sensed something was wrong when her daughter did not answer the phone on her birthday.
Relatives said they contacted the boyfriend, who told them Pierce had left their home on a motorcycle with another man. The family was skeptical, and on Sept. 22 they reported her missing.
A private investigator reportedly volunteered to help. He learned where Pierce was last seen and where the boyfriend had traveled. The day after the missing persons report was filed, Pierce was found dead.
“They had wrapped her in plastic and put her in the shallow grave and put rocks on top of her to cover her up,” Peters said.