Navy sailor last seen at airport found dead in river 200 miles away, Georgia cops say
The body of a missing sailor was found in a South Georgia river days after he vanished from Atlanta’s airport, state authorities say.
A fisherman spotted Devin Jeter’s body on Monday, Nov. 11, by a boat dock on the Ocmulgee River near Lumber City — nearly 200 miles from where the 25-year-old was last seen, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The Telfair County Sheriff’s Office asked the GBI to investigate the grim discovery, agents said in a Nov. 14 news release.
Jeter, an aviation ordnanceman 3rd Class, was assigned to the Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida, a Navy public affairs officer told McClatchy News.
“The cause and circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation,” the spokesperson said. “We offer our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family, friends, and shipmates of the Sailor during this difficult time.”
Investigators learned Jeter’s family reported him missing to the Atlanta Police Department on Friday, Nov. 8. He was last seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport the day before, when he rented a 2024 silver Jeep Compass with a Florida tag, agents said.
Jeter was reportedly headed to Jacksonville, where he was stationed, but never arrived.
“When Jeter didn’t show up for work the next day, his co-workers alerted his family, prompting them to report him missing,” according to the GBI.
An autopsy determined Jeter had “no apparent injuries,” but investigators said they’re awaiting other forensic tests. The silver Jeep Compass he rented hasn’t been found.
Anyone with information on Jeter is asked to call the GBI regional investigative office in Eastman at 478-374-6988. Anonymous tips can also be shared on the GBI’s tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), or submitted online.
Lumber City is about a 100-mile drive southeast from Macon.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 11:01 AM.