Authorities say labelling rocker Chris Daughtry's stepdaughter's death a homicide was 'premature and irresponsible'

An investigation into the sudden death of rocker Chris Daughtry's stepdaughter has been opened "prematurely", authorities say.

Hannah Price, the 25-year-old stepdaughter of the American Idol alum, was found dead inside her Tennessee apartment on November 12. An investigation into her death was opened hours later, with police at the time labelling her death a homicide. 

Now, the District Attorney for Tennessee's 8th District tells People magazine in a statement that while the investigation is ongoing, it was "irresponsible" to already classify the death a homicide. 

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"On Friday, November 12, 2021, the Fentress County Sheriffs Office and the Regional Forensic Center began an investigation into the death of Hannah Marie Price, age 25," the statement states.

"This is a death investigation and any attempt to classify it as a homicide investigation at this time is premature and irresponsible."

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On the same day Price's body was found, police also reportedly arrested her boyfriend, Bobby Jolly, who was taken into custody at the Fentress County Jail in Tennessee. At the time of his arrest, authorities would not confirm if Jolly was a person of interest in the case, nor did they reveal why he was arrested.

"Further, no one has been arrested pertaining to the death of Ms. Price," the statement continued. "Once the investigation into the death of Hannah Marie Price is complete, authorities will forward their findings to the Eighth Judicial District Attorney General's Office for review."

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Price is the daughter of Daughtry's wife, Deanna, who also has a son Griffin, 23, from a previous relationship. The singer married Deanna in 2000 and they share 10-year-old twins together: Adalynn Rose and Noah James. 

After Price's death, Daughtry expressed his grief on social media. 

"I am still processing the last 24 hours. I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken," the 41-year-old shared on Instagram.

"I just recently lost my mother to cancer but I was blessed with the chance to say goodbye and I was processing it privately. We never got to say goodbye to our precious Hannah and it's another huge hit to our family."

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