CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Dash cameras and body cameras not only captured the tense moments when an Ohio murder suspect was nabbed in Tennessee, but also the discovery of a dead woman in the car he was driving.
On Friday, Aug. 18, police in Cincinnati, Ohio, responded to a shots fired call. Investigators at the scene said they found evidence of a possible shooting and kidnapping.
The next day, the victim’s car was spotted in Tennessee. Authorities from multiple agencies, including the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), the Metro Nashville Police Department, and the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office, chased after the vehicle.
A Cheatham County deputy’s dashcam picked up the pursuit on Interstate 40 shortly before 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19. In the video, you can see the driver of the stolen SUV — later identified by officials as 32-year old Lance Miller of Texas — swerving around traffic and driving on the shoulder of the road.
The deputy’s speed reached 120 miles per hour at times while following Miller. Eventually, the SUV came to a stop after spike strips were deployed near mile marker 186 on I-40.
“His tires are coming apart. I believe it’s fixin’ to end right here. Standby,” the deputy said on his radio.
Within a matter of minutes, a chase that began more than 50 miles away came to an end. Footage shows Wilson County and Cheatham County deputies, as well as THP troopers, moving in with their guns drawn while Miller put up a fight.
“Quit fighting!” a law enforcement officer commanded as authorities struggled to pin the suspect to the ground. “Do not fight him! Do you understand?”
After Miller was detained, authorities discovered the female passenger’s body.
“Is she okay? Is she okay?” a deputy asked as a group of law enforcement officers huddled around the car. One of them reluctantly responded, “No.”
The victim was identified as 36-year-old Kaitlyn Lynch, a mother of two young children, according to a GoFundMe page set up in her memory.
The fundraising page said Lynch was shot in the chest outside of her Cincinnati home before the suspect — who the victim reportedly knew — left the crime scene in Lynch’s car, with her in it.
Miller was scheduled to appear in a Wilson County courtroom on Wednesday, Aug. 23, but the hearing was reset for Monday, Aug. 28.
The Texas man was charged with a being a fugitive from justice, evading arrest, and abusing a corpse in Wilson County. However, he also faces murder and kidnapping charges in Ohio.