Two people were shot to death inside a Bryan County home Sunday after a man stole a truck from a neighbor who had stopped to help him on the side of the road.
What’s Happening: Around 4 p.m. Sunday, March 8, a man later identified as Anthony Andrea Forney approached a resident near Nevils, Georgia who had pulled over to help him after he ran out of gas. While the resident walked away to get a gas can, Forney climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck and drove off.
What’s Important: GPS tracking led law enforcement to a residence on Ash Branch Church Road in Bryan County, where deputies found Kenneth C. (Craig) Lanier and Rhonda Lanier dead inside the home from gunshot wounds. The stolen truck was parked behind the house.
What We Know:
- The truck owner called Bulloch County 911 and tracked the vehicle by GPS in real time
- A GPS ping placed the truck near Sally Mae’s Restaurant on Highway 67 in Bulloch County, but the vehicle was gone when officers arrived
- A second ping led officers into Bryan County, near Ash Branch Church Road
- Officers spotted a man matching the suspect’s description speeding out of a driveway in a gray Toyota Camry
- During a pursuit, the Camry swerved out of control, went into a ditch, and overturned
- Officers found Forney inside the vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound
The Path Forward: The Bryan County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is ongoing.
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.