In the quiet, suburban neighborhood of Southbridge in Savannah, Georgia, a tragedy unfolded that left a community in shock and mourning. On April 1, 2019, Susan Burnette, a 78-year-old female, and her husband, Thomas N. Burnette Jr., a 74-year-old retired Army lieutenant general, were discovered deceased in their home on Myrtlewood Drive. The grim discovery was made by Chatham County Police officers who had been dispatched to the residence to conduct a welfare check.
Upon entering the
home, authorities found the couple, who had been married for over 50 years. Preliminary investigations into their deaths quickly led officials to suspect a murder-suicide. This initial assessment would later be confirmed, bringing a sorrowful end to the lives of a couple who had spent decades together, traveling the world during Thomas's distinguished military career before settling in Savannah.
Further details released by the Chatham County Police Department identified Thomas Burnette as the suspect in the murder-suicide. The investigation concluded that he was responsible for Susan's death before taking his own life. No other suspects were sought, and no arrests were made as the case was closed with the determination of a murder-suicide. The news sent ripples through their community and among those who knew the Burnettes, leaving friends and family to grapple with the sudden and tragic loss of a couple who had been an integral part of their lives for so long.
