Roll of Honor
Incident
Captain Byron Motley died from injuries sustained while attempting to rescue a drowning child while off duty.
He was at a family gathering when he noticed a child laying motionless at the bottom of a pool. He immediately jumped in and retrieved the child. After passing the child to others on the pool deck he attempted to get out of the pool but slipped and struck his head, knocking him unconscious. CPR was immediately initiated and he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Captain Motley is survived by his wife and two children.
Survivors
Captain Motley is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-6D9E4A2C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Byron. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Captain Motley served with the Murfreesboro Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Murfreesboro community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Motley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Captain Byron Michael Motley is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Murfreesboro Police Department, 3 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Byron Michael Motley's cause is highlighted.
How Byron Michael Motley Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Byron Michael Motley is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Murfreesboro Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
