In the late summer of 2015, a wave of shock and sorrow swept through the small community of West Green, Georgia, with the tragic death of 24-year-old Dorothy Leighann Reardean. A licensed practical nurse known for her work at Shady Acres Health and Rehabilitation Center, Ms. Reardean passed away on Monday, August 17, 2015, at Memorial Medical Center in Savannah. She had been clinging to life after a devastating incident that occurred the previous evening.
On Sunday, August 16, 2015, at approximately 7:30 p.m., a single gunshot shattered the quiet of a residence on Cutter Road. Initial reports from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation indicated that Ms. Reardean was inside a parked car with her four-year-old child when the child accidentally discharged a firearm, striking her in the head. The young mother was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but her injuries proved to be fatal.
The Coffee County Sheriff's Office quickly turned the investigation over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. This move, coupled with reports that Ms. Reardean was in a relationship with an employee of the sheriff's office, sparked public concern and questions surrounding the circumstances of the shooting. Despite the ongoing GBI investigation, no arrests were ever made in connection with the death of Dorothy Leighann Reardean, and no suspects were publicly named. The initial determination that the shooting was a tragic accident remains the only official account of the events that led to her untimely death.
