The local Kroger in Dickson was just wrapping up its usual Tuesday night rush on December 16 when Taylor ShyAnn Ratterree finished her shift around 8:00 p.m. To her coworkers, the 17-year-old was a burst of light—a creative soul who spent her spare time crocheting little handmade bumblebees to sell at the store. She was the kind of girl who always had a smile ready, a teenager with big dreams and an even bigger heart, looking forward to starting her first year of college.
But as Taylor walked out into the parking lot that night, her bright future was met by a shadow from her past. Her ex-boyfriend, 18-year-old Hunter Jackson, was there to pick her up. Though the two had recently ended their relationship, they ended up in his car together, headed down the familiar streets of Dickson. What should have been a short drive quickly turned into a terrifying confrontation that Taylor realized she couldn’t talk her way out of.
As the car rolled toward a traffic light on Henslee Drive, something inside that vehicle went terribly wrong. Fearing for her life, Taylor made a desperate, split-second decision to jump from the moving passenger door. She was just trying to get away, to find safety on the asphalt of a town she called home. But as she tried to leap, police say Jackson didn’t let her go—he pulled a gun and fired.
The scene that followed was heartbreaking. Taylor was left lying critically injured in the middle of the roadway as Jackson sped off into the night. When Dickson Police officers arrived, responding to what they initially thought was a report of a reckless driver, they instead found a young girl fighting for her life. She was rushed to Skyline Medical Center, but the damage was done. Taylor passed away, leaving a community and a family shattered by a loss that felt impossible to process.
Law enforcement didn’t wait long to find the man they believe is responsible. Following an intensive overnight search, authorities tracked Jackson down to a home in nearby White Bluff around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday. He was taken into custody without a fight and has since been charged with first-degree homicide. He’s currently sitting in the Dickson County Jail, held on a staggering $3 million bond as investigators work to piece together exactly why a teenage romance ended in such a violent tragedy.
Back at the Kroger where Taylor worked, the silence is heavy. Her friend and coworker, Hayla Skelton, remembers talking to her just minutes before she clocked out for the last time. She described Taylor as someone who “never had a dull moment,” a girl whose “beautiful personality” made the long shifts go by faster. The handmade bumblebees she loved to make have now become symbols of a sweet spirit taken far too soon, a reminder of the art and life she still had left to create.
Now, as the investigation continues, the people of Dickson are left holding onto those memories. It’s a small town where this kind of violence feels like a world away, yet today, there’s a roadside memorial where a young girl tried to jump for her freedom. Taylor Ratterree was a daughter, a friend, and a dreamer who was just trying to get home. Instead, her story has become a tragic cautionary tale of a young life cut short by the very person she once trusted.
