A Middle Georgia family had stopped to visit their mother’s gravesite over the weekend when they discovered the body of a metro Atlanta teenager who had been shot to death.
Now, authorities say the man responsible is in custody.
Jaylan Jashad Ray, 22, of Albany, was captured in Tallahassee, Florida, on Wednesday morning after investigators received a tip linking him to the death of the 17-year-old D’Shaunti Kyanni Hunter, Lamar County Sheriff Brad White said.
The Ellenwood teen was found in the back of the Barnesville cemetery Sunday afternoon as the family visited their loved one’s grave, the sheriff said. Deputies were called to the cemetery across from Unionville Church near High Falls State Park about 2:30 p.m., approximately 24 hours after Hunter was last seen.
“They looked at the back of the cemetery, about 100 yards away, and thought somebody had dumped trash or something,” White said. “So they went back there and saw that it was a young lady on the ground. They immediately left and called 911.”
White told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution there aren’t many homicides in the rural county, and that locals were surprised by the grisly discovery.
“I don’t know how rare it is in metro Atlanta, but it’s definitely rare for us,” he said.
Hunter was found on her back with at least one gunshot wound, authorities said. Tire tracks were discovered nearby, but investigators are still working to determine if the teen was killed there or if she was shot somewhere else and left at the cemetery.
A tip received that afternoon led detectives to Albany, where a search was conducted at Ray’s mother’s apartment, White said.
The 22-year-old’s car was seized by the GBI. Investigators discovered two guns inside Ray’s vehicle, but they’re still working to determine if either was used in the teen’s slaying, White said. They’re also checking to see if his tires match the tracks left behind at the crime scene.
“They uncovered enough evidence at the apartment to secure murder warrants for Mr. Ray,” White said.
The South Georgia man was captured in Florida about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Investigators are still trying to figure out how the two knew each other and how Hunter ended up 40 miles from her home. The teen’s family said she left for work Saturday afternoon but never returned.
“We don’t know their relationship yet and we don’t know the motive,” White said. “We’re hoping maybe he’ll give us some insight on that.”
Ray, who is charged with murder and aggravated assault, is being held at the Leon County, Florida, jail as he awaits extradition to Georgia.
“This is crushing us. They stole from us,” Hunter’s aunt, Jazmine Johnson, told Channel 2 Action News on Tuesday. “This is wrong. This is way more than wrong.”
White said he’s relieved an arrest was made so quickly, calling the GBI and the Marshals Service a “huge asset” in cracking the case.
“I’m glad it happened so quick, because coming from Atlanta 40 miles away we thought maybe it was just a body dump,” the sheriff said. “We didn’t know if we were ever going to be able to tie anybody to it.”
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