Two more arrests have been made in connection with the death of a Lumpkin County woman whose body was discovered in a shallow grave, bringing the total of arrests made so far to four, authorities said.
Dylan Patrick Reid, 19, and Isaac Huff, 18, both of Dawsonville, were arrested by the GBI on Monday in connection with 21-year-old Hannah Bender’s death, the agency said in a tweet. Both suspects face a count of concealing the death of another, while Reid faces an additional charge of tampering with evidence.
The man accused of killing Bender, Austin Todd Stryker, remains at large, authorities said. Stryker's fiancee, 21-year-old Elizabeth Brooke Donaldson, was previously arrested on a count of tampering with evidence.
MORE: Man sought in disappearance of 21-year-old woman in Lumpkin County
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office / Dawson County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office / Dawson County Sheriff's Office
Last Thursday, 78-year-old Jerry Kyle Harper was taken into custody in Dawson County after being previously wanted on charges of concealing a dead body and tampering with evidence.
RELATED: 78-year-old man accused of hiding Lumpkin County woman's body arrested
Bender disappeared nearly a week before her body was found last Wednesday in a shallow grave off Parks Road near Ga. 306 in Forsyth County, AJC.com previously reported. A report from a tipster led investigators to the ravine where her body was discovered.
Lumpkin Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said there were crime scenes associated with the case in Lumpkin, Dawson and Forsyth counties. He believes the murder was committed in his county.
Carol Gilreath, Bender’s mother, said the last time she heard from her daughter was in a text message Sept. 14. She reported her daughter missing five days later, with investigators finding bloody clothing shortly after.
The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office then obtained murder warrants against Stryker, which was before Bender’s body was found. Last week, U.S. Marshals offered a $5,000 reward for information on the man’s whereabouts.
It’s unclear how investigators tied Stryker to the case.
Anyone with information about the case or Styker’s whereabouts is asked to call 800-597-8477 or 706-864-0414.
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