SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of a body in a closed motel on North Expressway.
According to Griffin Police Department Chief Mike Yates, the body pertains to an open case at the Sheriff’s Office.
“I believe a deceased missing person was found there,” Yates said. “This person was missing from Spalding County, so we turned it over to the Sheriff’s Department.”
The GRIP contacted Capt. Dwayne Jones, of the SCSO, asking if this development is related to the missing person case of Timothy Allen Johnson, who was reported missing Dec. 5.
Jones declined to answer, citing a press release he is working on for release later today.
Information previously released regarding the Johnson missing person case reported the man’s vehicle was located the parking lot of Crestview Baptist Church Dec. 11. That church is next door to the closed motel where the deceased body was located.
“There was a body recovered, and we don’t believe there was any foul play involved. The body has, of course, been transported to the GBI Crime Lab,” said Jones. “It was the old Holiday Inn, which was the Howard Johnson’s, which is up there at Highway 19 and Lucky Street.”
The GRIP will continue to follow this developing story and report additional information as it becomes available.