Investigation Points to Sheriff Buford Pusser in Wife’s Death

WKRN reports that nearly six decades after the death of Pauline Mullins Pusser, investigators have released findings that cast new light on the circumstances surrounding her killing. Pauline, the wife of former McNairy County Sheriff Buford Pusser, was long believed to have died in an ambush targeting her husband in 1967.

A renewed investigation led the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to exhume Pauline’s body in 2024. Officials said the evidence gathered, including autopsy results, bloodstain pattern analysis, ballistic data, and inconsistencies in Buford Pusser’s original account, established probable cause that her death was the result of deliberate violence rather than an accident.

The new analysis concluded that Pauline was likely shot outside the couple’s vehicle before being placed inside. Experts also determined that the sheriff’s own gunshot wound to the face was consistent with a close-range discharge, contradicting earlier accounts of a long-range ambush. Medical examiners identified trauma to Pauline’s body that indicated previous interpersonal violence.

Additional evidence included cartridge placement, bullet trajectory inconsistencies, and the location of blood on the hood of the vehicle. In 2023, investigators also received a tip about a possible murder weapon, which became part of the case file. The completed investigation spans more than 1,000 pages.

While Buford Pusser died in 1974, authorities said that, if alive today, he would likely face indictment for the killing. The findings have prompted discussion in Adamsville, where the Buford Pusser Museum continues to honor the sheriff’s law enforcement career. City officials said they will review the implications of the investigation and its impact on the community’s handling of his legacy.

Buford Pusser remains a polarizing figure in Tennessee history, celebrated for his fight against organized crime and immortalized in Hollywood films, while now also facing renewed scrutiny over the death of his wife.