A former college basketball coach, who was reported missing in Middle Georgia this week, was found dead in Atlanta.
Atlanta police are investigating the death as a homicide after finding 60-year-old Sammy Jackson on Wednesday in a wooded area in northwest Atlanta, the department said in a news release. Jackson, who was a former head coach at Fort Valley State and Savannah State, had apparent gunshot wounds, according to APD.
Jackson’s family had reported him missing to the sheriff’s office in Peach County, which launched an investigation. Law enforcement found his abandoned car in Bonaire on Monday, all according to a Houston County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
During their investigation, Houston County deputies alerted Atlanta police of a “possible deceased person” in the area near 2994 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, APD said in a news release. It’s not clear how officers knew where to find Jackson.
A cause of death has not been determined, according to the ME.
Jill Jackson, his wife, told investigators she last talked with him Sunday night when he was about to start working for Uber Eats, a food delivery service, according to the incident report. Atlanta police said he was a rideshare driver.
Atlanta police said in a news release they “identified the individual who ordered the rideshare in Houston County,” who is a person of interest in the case. The 30-year-old man was booked into the Houston County Jail on an unrelated armed robbery charge Tuesday, online records show.
No other details about the circumstances of Jackson’s death were released by law enforcement.
He was the head men’s coach at Fort Valley State from 2011-2018 and earlier was the head coach at Savannah State in 1999-2000. In his long coaching career, he also served as an assistant at the University of Alabama, Georgia Southern, Alabama A&M and Tennessee State.
He played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association for the Rockford Lightning, according to a Fort Valley news release announcing his hiring.
Tributes began pouring in across social media this week from people who knew Jackson. Kareem Kenney said he worked with the former coach at FVSU, where Jackson gave him his first college coaching job.
“Sammy Jackson spent his whole life helping people! Always giving and helping others,” Kenney said on Facebook. “He was a truly special person and connector of people.”
Jackson played and coached basketball at Headland High School in Alabama, the Headland High Rams basketball team said in a post.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of former player and coach Sammy Jackson,” the post said.
Several family members took to social media to share his impact on their lives. His sister, Barbara Jackson, said on Facebook that the family is devastated by his loss and are seeking answers.
“He had a Heart of GOLD & would have helped anybody in the world,” she said in the post.
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