Remains were pulled from pond in 2019, Georgia police say. They’ve just been identified
A “partially decomposed” body pulled from a south Georgia pond in 2019 has been identified, state investigators say.
Advanced DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to 36-year-old Jeremiah Garretson of Berrien County, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The state launched an investigation on March 4, 2019, after Cook County deputies were called about a body in a pond in Lenox, agents said in a July 17 news release.
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Authorities arrived to find the decayed remains of the then-unidentified man. An autopsy determined he died in an accidental drowning, according to investigators.
For years, agents scoured missing person reports from seven counties and compared the man’s DNA and fingerprints against samples in crime databases with no luck, the release said.
Authorities also released a sketch by a GBI forensic artist in hopes someone might recognize him. It resulted in multiple leads, but investigators remained without a match.
A case with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System was also opened.
In 2023, GBI investigators sent evidence from the case to Othram, Inc., a Texas-based company that uses advanced DNA and genealogy technology to solve cold cases, according to the release.
A genealogical profile was created based on Garretson’s DNA, resulting in a positive identification. His family was notified in May, the GBI said.
Lenox is about 85 miles northeast of Tallahassee, Florida.
This story was originally published July 18, 2023 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Remains were pulled from pond in 2019, Georgia police say. They’ve just been identified."