Community shocked by tragic passing of Liberty County firefighters

HINESVILLE, Ga. (WSAV) – The Liberty County community is in shock after hearing the bodies of two missing firefighters were recovered by authorities in Tennessee.

Of all those News 3 spoke to, they all shared one sentiment: that this outcome is the worst possible scenario, and they truly wish things would have gone a different way.

“Everybody wanted the best outcome for him, and her, for both. Everybody was shocked and devastated at what was happening. We just didn’t know how to react. Everybody was really sad,” said an employee at Rodeo Mexican restaurant, a restaurant just across the highway from the Liberty County Fire Department where Kuhbander and Anderson worked.

This employee told WSAV the pair would come in almost every day.

“They would come in together, sometimes by themselves, but normally they would come in together,” she said.

However, it’s not just those in Hinesville who say the firefighters’ deaths are heartbreaking.

The first responder community here in coastal Georgia is also very close-knit.

“I’m in shock. My heart just shatters. I don’t know what to say. I have no words. Wow,” Amanda Pilcher, an acquaintance of the Kuhbander family and former firefighter, said.

“Very shocking. Very tragic. Definitely not the ending we were hoping for her or the family – how she’s been with both our kids,” William Pilcher, also an acquaintance of the Kuhbander family and current firefighter, said.

Kuhbander’s sister was also their children’s teacher.

According to police reports, Anderson has a history of suicidal ideation and was arrested just days before the disappearance, leading many to fear mental health may have played a factor in these deaths.

“Mental health – there’s always room for improvement. It can never be stated enough to take care of yourself or your buddy or your brother or your sister in the world, anybody for the fact of the matter,” Pilcher said. “Mental health is huge when it comes to this, it can always be better, especially being high stress, high pace.”

Now that Kuhbander and Anderson are gone, community members say their absence will be deeply felt, in ways big and small.

“I’m sure the restaurant will miss seeing him and her as well – coming in to order their favorite meals – which was like arroz con pollo and shrimp fajitas -which they always ordered,” the Rodeo Mexican restaurant employee said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now one of the main agencies handling this case.

They have not confirmed the cause of death, but say the investigation is active and ongoing.