Emeri Connery was a 26-year-old personal trainer, competitive bodybuilder, and health administration graduate from Coolville, Ohio, who was shot and killed by her first cousin, off-duty Big Stone Gap police officer Bailey Smith, in the early morning hours of March 10, 2019. The Lee County Commonwealth’s Attorney later ruled the deaths a murder-suicide, concluding that Smith fired the fatal shot before turning the gun on himself inside a pickup truck that had crashed along Route 23 in Lee County, Virginia.
The Night of March 9–10, 2019
Connery and Smith attended a wedding together in Big Stone Gap on the evening of March 9, then drove to Johnson City, Tennessee, and visited two bars with friends. They were later seen at a McDonald’s drive-through in Gray, Tennessee, where Smith phoned a friend who afterward told investigators Smith “seemed drunk” during the call.1WCYB. Commonwealth’s Attorney Releases Final Report on Death of Big Stone Gap Officer, Cousin They left Gray at about 1:54 a.m. on March 10, with Smith driving and Connery in the front passenger seat.
Shortly before 4:00 a.m., a Virginia State Police trooper responded to a crash near mile marker 28 on Route 23 North in Lee County, where a 2015 GMC pickup had run off the left side of the highway into the median.2WSLS. Routine Call Leads Virginia Officers to Two Bodies Both occupants were dead inside the truck with gunshot wounds.3WJHL. Big Stone Gap Police Officer, Woman Found Dead With Gunshot Wounds in Truck Virginia State Police confirmed no other vehicle or person was involved.4WTAP. Virginia Authorities Investigate Deaths of Coolville Woman, Virginia Man
What Investigators Concluded
State police treated the deaths as a murder-suicide from the outset and sent both bodies to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke.5WJHL. VSP: Police Officer, Cousin Deaths Probed as a Murder-Suicide The Virginia Medical Examiner confirmed Smith shot Connery in the head before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.6WJHL. Medical Examiner: Big Stone Gap Officer Shot Cousin Then Committed Suicide
On September 6, 2019, Lee County Commonwealth’s Attorney H. Fuller Cridlin released the final report. Three shots had been fired from Smith’s weapon inside the vehicle before the crash: one killed Connery, one missed, and the third was the self-inflicted wound to Smith’s head. Smith’s blood alcohol concentration was “well above the legal limit,” Connery’s was below it, and an open container of alcohol was recovered from the truck. Cridlin concluded the shooting was not accidental but said officials “will never know what led to the incident.” No motive was established, and no prior conflict between the cousins was reported.1WCYB. Commonwealth’s Attorney Releases Final Report on Death of Big Stone Gap Officer, Cousin
Who Bailey Smith Was
Smith was 21 years old and lived in Duffield, Virginia. He had served with the Big Stone Gap Police Department since January 2018 and was off duty when he and Connery left the wedding.7WYMT. Southwest Virginia Police Officer Found Shot in Car
Emeri Connery’s Life and Career
Connery was born in 1993 and grew up in Coolville, Ohio. She graduated from Eastern High School in Reedsville, Ohio, in 2011, where she competed in cross country, track and field, and basketball.8News and Sentinel. Emeri Alexandra Connery She later earned a master’s degree in health administration and an ISSA personal training certification, building a career in the health and fitness industry.9Greatest Physiques. Emeri Connery
She began competing in her early twenties, inspired by her brother Klint’s involvement in bodybuilding, and worked her way up through National Physique Committee events. At the 2017 NPC Mountaineer Classic she took first place in Figure Class C, first in Figure Novice Class B, and the Overall Figure title, after earlier placings at the 2014 NPC Pittsburgh Championships and the 2016 NPC Mountaineer Classic.10NPC News Online. Emeri Connery – NPC Mountaineer Classic
Connery is survived by her parents, Fred K. Connery Jr. and Sheri Blanken; her sister, Madison Trace; and her triplet brothers, Kyle and Klint Connery. After her death, the family established the Emeri Connery Flying Eagle Scholarship Fund through First National Bank in Glouster, Ohio, and held a celebration of life on March 23, 2019, at Eastern High School.8News and Sentinel. Emeri Alexandra Connery