On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, working in conjunction with the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, secured a warrant for one count of murder against Jeramy Ray Chastain of Dahlonega.
Chastain is accused of murdering 43-year-old Alecia Stover of Alto. Her body was found outside a burning log cabin at 691 Yonah Post Road in Alto on March 7.
An autopsy revealed she died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The 30-year-old Chastain was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Clarkesville ten hours after officials first discovered Stover’s body. He was initially charged with criminal trespass and giving false statements.
According to Habersham County Sheriff’s Lt. Matthew Wurtz, Chastain had “just gotten out” of prison prior to his arrest in Habersham County. He says Chastain and Stover were in “some type of relationship” and that Chastain had lived at the Alto residence before the incident.
Chastain remains in the Habersham County jail without bond.
Deadly discovery
What began as a fire call quickly turned into a murder investigation early on the morning of Saturday, March 7. Habersham 911 dispatched units to the scene of the fire at 691 Yonah Post Road at 6:48 a.m. on March 7.
The log cabin was fully involved when first responders arrived. They soon discovered a woman’s body – later identified as Stover – outside the residence. After the discovery, law enforcement temporarily held back firefighters to secure the scene.
Firefighters from Habersham, Hall, White, and Banks counties and Lee Arrendale responded to the scene along with the sheriff’s office and Georgia State Patrol. The sheriff’s office asked the GBI to assist with the investigation.
Fire crews took a defensive attack to put out the flames. They had to shuttle in water due to a lack of fire hydrants in the area.
The State Fire Marshal’s Investigations Unit also was assisting in the probe. Wurtz says the case remains open and ongoing.
This article has been updated to reflect that the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office issued a correction on its previous statement that suspect Jeremy Chastain was charged with murder.
Now Habersham will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.
