Suzanne Renee Perez, 52, was shot and killed on July 18, 2016, in Cocke County near Newport, Tennessee. Deputies described a scene that suggested the shooter was someone who shared a home and history with her. Investigators said her longtime boyfriend, Alfred Terry Brooks, called a neighbor, admitted he had shot Perez and said he planned to take his own life. The neighbor’s alarm brought help, and as word spread that Brooks was armed the situation became an overnight standoff in rugged terrain that officers judged unsafe to approach. After negotiations and continued contact by the neighbor and her son, Brooks surrendered peacefully and was arrested and named by authorities as the suspect. Reports at the time said he faced a first-degree murder charge; booking information also included a drug-related manufacturing allegation.

Perez’s death affected more than court papers. Friends and rescuers described her as an advocate who cared for animals, and they worked to place her pets and stabilize what she left behind. Does anyone who knew Suzanne or the neighborhood remember signs of trouble in the days before July 18, 2016?