Officials say new evidence has been discovered in the death of a Senoia teenager who vanished in 2011 after attending a high school homecoming dance and was found in a creek months later.
More than 12 years after the killing, detectives pulled together new leads and information related to the homicide of Blake Chappell, 17, prompting authorities to search three residential locations in Sharpsburg on Friday, according to Newnan police.
“This additional information led the detectives to apply for search warrants in the three locations and resulted in the collection of evidence, which will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for further analysis,” police said.
On Oct. 16, 2011, Chappell was last seen leaving a friend’s house in the Olmstead subdivision sometime around 4 a.m. The East Coweta High School student had attended a homecoming dance the night before, though the dress pants, tie and jacket he wore were nowhere to be found.
Police said he vanished while heading to another friend’s house on Highwoods Parkway.
About two months later, on Dec. 19, Chappell’s body was found floating face down in a Newnan creek. An autopsy revealed he died from a gunshot wound, though it’s unclear how long he had been in the water, police said at the time. He was found wearing only his underwear and was identified by a tattoo and piece of jewelry.
Authorities have not elaborated on the evidence collected from the properties last week. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Police said they do not believe drugs or gang activity were factors in the killing.
“While some suspects were removed from the list of persons of interest in this case, one person of interest was voluntarily interviewed,” police added Friday.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact Newnan police at 770-254-2355. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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