TBI: Body of Pauline Pusser exhumed from Adamsville Cemetery

UPDATE (4/8/24): Pauline Pusser remains returned to gravesite

UPDATE: Pauline Pusser’s body to undergo autopsy 57 years later

ADAMSVILLE, Tenn. — Several Tipsters alerted us that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was on scene at Adamsville Cemetery Thursday morning.

We received several reports that this is in relation to an investigation into the death of Pauline Pusser – wife of late McNairy County Sheriff Bufford Pusser.

We reached out to the TBI, who shared the following:

Today, TBI special agents were at the Adamsville Cemetery to oversee the exhumation of the body of Pauline Pusser. Pauline was fatally shot on August 12, 1967, in McNairy County, and the Tennessee Bureau of Criminal Identification was called in to investigate. As we have evolved to become the independent agency that we are today, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, this case has remained an active investigation. As with any unresolved case, agents have continued to reexamine files and follow any and all leads.

A recent tip prompted a new review of the case file and the discovery was made that an autopsy was never performed on Mrs. Pusser’s body. With the support of Pauline’s family and in consultation with 25th Judicial District Attorney General Mark Davidson, TBI requested the exhumation in an attempt to answer critical questions and provide crucial information that may assist in identifying the person or persons responsible for Pauline Pusser’s death.

Our crews arrived on scene to find a casket being hauled away from the area.

Back in 2023, the TBI shared a message to social media asking the public for tips in relation to the case.

Stay with us on-air and online as we expect to have a full report later today.

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