The morning began with company and ended with a creek. That’s the narrow corridor where the truth about Barbara Crenshaw vanished.
She was 39. In the early hours of March 19, 1996, someone saw her with a man no one seems to know. By the end of that day, deputies found her in the creek. The death was ruled a homicide. The investigation stretched on. The years did, too.
No arrests. No closure. Just a case file that refuses to shut.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help again, not as a formality but as a last, stubborn bet on memory. Investigators believe someone in the community knows something— who that unknown man was, what happened between those early morning hours and the discovery in South Bibb County, why Barbara Crenshaw became a victim.
Nearly three decades is a hard measure for any family. It’s a measure of birthdays missed and questions repeated. It’s also long enough for secrets to feel like fixtures. The sheriff’s office is betting they aren’t.
If you know anything about the homicide of Barbara Crenshaw—seen the morning of March 19, 1996, with an unidentified man, found later that day in Echeconee Creek—call Investigator Tench at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-310-5414. You can also reach Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
Sometimes a case turns because a detail finally finds daylight. Sometimes it’s a phone call. For Barbara Crenshaw’s family, the creek has held this story long enough.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
