Almost five years after the murder of Tennessee Army National Guard soldier Jacob Bishop, arrests have been made that Loudon County authorities hope will bring some closure to the case. Eric Austin Byrd, 39, and Amanda James Bishop, 39, who was married to the victim at the time of his death, are now facing charges of first-degree murder following what has been described as a painstaking investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Both suspects are from the local area, with Byrd hailing from Lenoir City and Amanda Bishop from Kingston.

According to information released by Loudon County Sheriff's Office and reported by WVLT, Jacob Bishop was discovered by his mother on October 1, 2019, dead in his home, his life claimed by multiple gunshot wounds and his body cruelly restrained with zip ties. Sheriff Jimmy Davis, in a press conference, highlighted the alleged domestic strife as a likely motive, pointing to "a heated custody battle over their child" between the estranged couple.

Deputies have informed sources including WATE that both suspects are held on $1 million bonds each at the Loudon County Detention Center. The breakthrough in the case was attributed to advancements in technology and evidence collection, although specifics regarding these methods were not disclosed.

Loudon County Sheriff's Office, together with organizations such as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. For Diane Bishop, Jacob's mother, the pain is enduring. "When you find your son dead on the floor in his apartment, that’s something that sticks in your brain and it don’t go away," she told WBIR in a interview from 2021. Her son's affable personality was known to many, leaving it a shocking act that someone close to him would commit this crime.

As Sheriff Davis mentioned to WATE, the closeness of the National Guard to his department made the tragedy especially impactful, with several colleagues having served in the same sphere as Bishop. "It was very, very shocking that someone would do this to one of our service members."