Authorities in Northeast Georgia are waiting on autopsy results to determine whether a body discovered in Franklin County on Monday is that of a missing White County man.
Franklin County Coroner Scott O’Barr says officials recovered a man’s body Monday afternoon, September 4, in a wooded area just outside of Lavonia off Interstate 85.
According to O’Barr, 911 dispatchers received a call around one o’clock Monday afternoon from an individual walking in a wooded area checking his trail cameras who told them he thought he found a body. The property borders I-85 and is adjacent to exit 173 in the city limits of Lavonia.
After confirming the body’s location, law enforcement requested assistance from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.
O’Barr says his office worked the case, knowing there had been a missing person’s case close to the area. Cordell Barnes of Cleveland has been missing since late July. His abandoned pickup truck was found in Hart County.
“We’re in between, so we worked the case as it was potentially this person,” says O’Barr.
O’Barr confirms that the body recovered was a male and says it was severely decomposed.
“At this point, we don’t know the exact cause or manner of death, and we have not confirmed the identification at this time. We are waiting on positive identification from dental records from the GBI’s Medical Examiner’s office,” he tells Now Habersham.
Douglas “Cordell” Barnes’ family filed a missing person’s report with the White County Sheriff’s Office on July 28. The Hart County Sheriff’s Office became involved in the investigation on July 31 when the registration on an abandoned pickup truck found ten days earlier came back as belonging to the missing man.
Last month, volunteers searched an area near where Barnes’ truck was found in hopes of finding him or getting clues to his possible location.
Barnes’ family is aware of the latest developments. His mother says they are staying in close contact with law enforcement, awaiting the autopsy results.
