Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Rosemary Vela was killed in a single vehicle crash while responding to backup another deputy.
She was traveling on Highway 70 West, near Huntersville, when her patrol car left the roadway during a period of heavy rain. The vehicle struck a tree and then came to rest in a creek.
Deputy Vela had served with the Madison County Sheriff's Office for five months and had previously served with the Alamo Police Department and the Crockett County Sheriff's Office.
Survivors
She is survived by her 5-year-old son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-04F6C46B- 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.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Vela gave the Madison County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Denmark community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Vela.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Rosemary Vela 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 Madison County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rosemary Vela's cause is highlighted.
How Rosemary Vela Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rosemary Vela is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Madison County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
