Hall County Sheriff’s investigators have released the name of a homeless man who was murdered in the hope someone can help them notify his family.
The body of Hung Van Le, 61, was found behind a business on Atlanta Highway just before 1 p.m. on October 2. Since then, investigators have tried unsuccessfully to contact his relatives. Le was part of Gainesville’s homeless community and was known to frequent the area where his body was discovered, sheriff’s officials say.
Typically, law enforcement will not release the name of a deceased victim until the next of kin is notified, but investigators have exhausted all means to find Le’s relatives, says Hall County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer B.J. Williams.
“They hope one of his friends or acquaintances may be able to help investigators locate next of kin,” she says.
Investigators are still waiting on autopsy results before releasing information on how he died. There are no suspects in the murder at this time, Williams says.
Le is at least the third homeless man murdered in Hall County in the past year.
On October 18, 2021, 66-year-old Leon Hicks was found unconscious and bleeding near the railroad tracks at Georgia Avenue and Industrial Boulevard. Four days later, police arrested another homeless man, 51-year-old Dexter Pullman, and charged him with Hicks’ murder.
On May 13, 2022, 37-year-old Billie Lee Davis was found shot to death on the outskirts of a homeless camp off Queen City Parkway. Two weeks later, Hall County sheriff’s investigators arrested 42-year-old Pedro Morales-Valle and charged him with Davis’ murder. Police said the two men lived at the same homeless camp.
Anyone with information about Le’s family or his death is asked to contact Hall County investigators at 770-503-3232. Tips can remain anonymous.
