A Statesboro mother’s concern for her missing son led police to discover his body in an abandoned house and arrest a suspect 600 miles away in Ohio.
What Happened: A 48-year-old Statesboro man was reported missing by his mother on October 11 after she hadn’t seen him for several days. Police found his body inside an abandoned house in Ohio.
How Police Found Him: Detectives tracked the missing man’s car using license plate readers and found it had traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio. When Ohio police tried to stop the vehicle, the driver fled. After a chase, officers arrested Randall Lamar Williams, 49, of Statesboro, and a 17-year-old girl. The missing man was not in the car.
The Charges: Williams faces charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. He remains in jail in Hamilton County, Ohio, on local charges related to the police chase. He will be brought back to Georgia to face the murder charges.
What We Don’t Know Yet: Police have not released the victim’s name or how he died. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Coastal Crime Lab will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The Big Picture: This case shows how modern technology like license plate readers can help police track suspects across state lines. The system alerted officers when the victim’s car entered Ohio, leading to a quick arrest hundreds of miles from where the crime happened.
The Sources: Statesboro Police Department.
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.
