A domestic dispute on the afternoon of December 10, 2020, in a Portland, Tennessee home on William Mack Lane ended in a fatal shooting that took the life of 37-year-old Brandi M. Ladd. Responding officers found Ladd and 42-year-old John F. Heath with gunshot wounds shortly before 3:00 p.m.; Ladd was transported to Tri-Star Portland Emergency Room and pronounced dead, while Heath was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center in stable condition.

Witnesses told investigators the confrontation involved a 17-year-old male known to the family who sometimes stayed in the home. According to those accounts, an argument between the teenager, Ladd, and Heath escalated when the juvenile brandished a .380 caliber handgun; a physical struggle followed and the weapon was fired. The suspect fled into woods behind the residence but was located at the scene and taken into custody. Authorities recovered the handgun from a nearby creek.

The juvenile was charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Did anyone in the Portland area witness the events at the home or have information about the people who were there that afternoon?