By Jeff Devine, Editor-in-Chief, Dale County Chronicle
LANETT, Ala.— A Georgia man accused of strangling his girlfriend in Alabama died of an apparent heart attack while allegedly attempting to dispose of her body in a wooded area off a county roadway.
According to officials, the female victim, a 47-year-old Lanett resident, died from strangulation. Investigators allege she was killed by her boyfriend, a 44-year-old man from Macon, Georgia, before being transported across county lines.
Law enforcement says the suspect drove the victim’s body into Chambers County, Alabama, and was in the process of abandoning her remains when he suddenly suffered a medical emergency. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities believe the man died of a heart attack, though an official cause of death is still pending confirmation from medical examiners.
The discovery was made after a passerby alerted authorities to what appeared to be two unresponsive individuals in a remote wooded area off a rural road. Deputies responding to the call found both the victim and the suspect in proximity near the treeline.
Investigators with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency have taken the lead in the case through its State Bureau of Investigation division, working alongside local deputies to reconstruct the timeline leading up to the deaths.
Officials also noted that a vehicle was located nearby with its engine still running, further adding to the unusual circumstances surrounding the scene.
The wooded area has been described by investigators as a suspected disposal site, suggesting the homicide did not occur where the bodies were ultimately found. Evidence collection teams processed the area extensively as part of the ongoing investigation.
Authorities with the State Bureau of Investigation continue to piece together when and where the alleged killing took place, as well as how the couple ended up in the remote location together.
At this time, officials have not released a motive or additional details regarding the relationship between the victim and the suspect.
The case remains under active investigation as forensic results and autopsy reports are finalized.
