The former publisher of a South Georgia newspaper was found dead at his Waycross office Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Officers responded to the Waycross Journal-Herald on Isabella Street about 10:30 a.m. after getting a call, Waycross police said.
They arrived to find 71-year-old Roger Williams dead of an apparent suicide, the department said in a news release.
Williams was the longtime publisher, serving in that role for 27 years. The paper had been in his family since his grandfather, Jack Williams Sr., purchased it in 1916.
News was the family business for Williams and his brother, Jack Williams III, who edited the paper.
After printing local news for more than a century, the Ware County paper ceased publication last month after becoming a financial burden on the family, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution previously reported.
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"There is no easy way to break this news," the paper's website still reads. "It's been a long time coming as advertising accounts fled to Facebook, websites, data streaming, 'marriage mail,' TV, radio and several other mediums, followed by reduced print subscriptions as Americans and Waycrossans turned to cellphones to get their news. The Waycross Journal-Herald, which has been owned and operated by the Williams family since 1916, will cease publication as of September 30, 2019."
About two weeks after the sudden closure, former sports editor Rick Head announced he had secured a deal to reopen the paper as a weekly, as opposed to printing six days a week.
The Waycross Police Department is leading the investigation into Williams’ death with assistance from the GBI.
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