A criminal investigation is underway after friends found signs of fire during a welfare check at an Ashwood Drive home.
MT. JULIET, TN — Two adults and a dog were found dead inside an Ashwood Drive home Saturday after friends went there for a welfare check and found signs of a fire, Rutherford County officials said.
The deaths of 73-year-old Cornelia Sue Riehl and 63-year-old Alfred Eugene Riehl are now part of a criminal investigation led by the Rutherford County Fire Marshal’s Office. The home has a Mount Juliet mailing address but sits in Rutherford County jurisdiction. Officials have released few details about what caused the fire or how the two people died, leaving neighbors waiting for answers.
Deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office were sent to the home at about 6 p.m. Saturday, June 6, after friends became concerned. A neighbor said the couple had planned to go to church that afternoon, and the woman had been texting with people before communication stopped. When friends arrived, they saw a charred door and a broken window, then alerted authorities. Fire crews later found that there was no active fire, but investigators said evidence showed a fire had happened earlier inside the single-family home.
Fire investigators found two adults and a dog dead inside the residence. Officials later identified the adults as Cornelia Sue Riehl and Alfred Eugene Riehl, both of Mt. Juliet. Their exact relationship was not detailed in the official update, though neighbors described them as a husband and wife. Authorities have not released the dog’s breed, the location of the bodies inside the home, the likely time of the fire or whether smoke, heat, injury or another factor caused the deaths.
The investigation includes several agencies. The Rutherford County Fire Marshal’s Office is working with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, the La Vergne Police Department Crime Scene Unit, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Officials said Tuesday that the case remains active and that no other individuals are currently considered subjects in the investigation. Crime tape remained around the home as investigators returned to collect evidence.
Neighbors said the scene was difficult to understand because no one nearby reported seeing heavy flames or hearing a major disturbance. One neighbor who lives across the street said he was home all day and did not notice fire or commotion from the house. “It was shocking,” the neighbor said. “The way it happened not even trying to get out.” The comment reflected the central question still surrounding the case: how a deadly fire could occur without drawing earlier attention on the street.
Pat Cockrell, who lives nearby, said the two were more than neighbors to people in the area. She said she spoke with Cornelia Sue Riehl the day before the discovery and saw Alfred Eugene Riehl doing yard work. “It’s so hard to take that in, to believe that happened right here,” Cockrell said. She described Cornelia Sue Riehl as “a wonderful person” and called the deaths a tragic loss for the neighborhood.
Officials have not announced charges, a cause of death or a final cause of the fire. The Fire Marshal’s Office has said the investigation is ongoing and has not released additional details about evidence collected at the home. The next major step is expected to come when investigators provide findings on the fire’s origin, the cause of the deaths and whether any criminal act led to the scene on Ashwood Drive.
Author note: Last updated June 14, 2026.