Probe underway in death of local man found in Midway community

Body sent
to GBI
crime lab
A worried family frantic to find their missing loved one made a tragic discovery Monday morning in Grady County’s Midway community.
With the help of about 15 first responders including Georgia State Patrol’s aviation unit, the family canvassed a large area in the 2400 block of GA 93 South for a couple of hours before finding the 61-year-old man’s body.
He was discovered in a wooded area not far from the home of a friend where he had been staying in that area, according to Sgt. Chris Luckey, investigator with the Grady County Sheriff’s Office.
“Nothing, at this point, looks like foul play,” says Sgt. Luckey, who says the man could have died of natural causes. Still, the GBI has been called in to assist in the investigation, and the man’s body has been sent to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy. Such autopsies are routine when someone dies unaccompanied, according to authorities.
Luckey says the man, who had suffered from poor health in recent years, was last seen asleep on a sofa around 6:30 a.m. when another resident of the home left for work.  
At 8 a.m., the man’s friend realized he was not inside the house. “She was alarmed and knew that wasn’t right,” Luckey says, and called 911.
Joining the family in the search for the man were volunteer firefighters from the Midway department, GSP troopers and Grady County Sheriff’s deputies. An EMS unit was also on standby. Luckey says the GSP air patrol flew the area for approximately 20-30 minutes before the man’s body was found around 11:45 a.m.