Cold case solved after 28 years: man charged in 1998 stabbing of Coffee County mother

James Lawrence III, 47, has been arrested in connection with the 1998 murder of Christy Dawn Myers, found stabbed near her vehicle in Coffee County, Georgia.

Arrest in 28-year-old murder case of young Georgia mother

Nearly three decades after Christy Dawn Myers, 20, was found stabbed to death beside her vehicle on Broxton-Fitzgerald Highway in Coffee County, Georgia, an arrest has been made in the case. According to cbsnews.com, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Coffee County Sheriff's Office announced they had taken a suspect into custody on Thursday.

Myers was discovered on 15 September 1998. Investigators determined she had been stabbed multiple times the night before. Witnesses reported seeing her socialise at a local store before she left alone. Neighbours near the scene said they heard a conversation followed by a car accelerating, and it was one of those neighbours who found her body.

The case went unsolved for 28 years. Investigators say they continued working on it throughout that period. Using forensic testing and DNA evidence, officials identified 47-year-old James Lawrence III, a resident of Irwin County, as the suspect. Lawrence was booked at the Coffee County Jail and is charged with felony murder, malice murder, and aggravated assault.

Coffee County Sheriff Fred T. Cole addressed Myers' family directly at a press conference on Friday. "I know this arrest will not give you the years you lost with her, but I hope today shows you that Christy was never forgotten," Cole said.

Myers' daughter, Chelsea Wolfe, described her mother as warm and outgoing. "She was always excited to meet new people," Wolfe said. "She hardly met a stranger." She added that her mother loved long walks and singing.

"She was a great friend, a loving mother, sister, and daughter," Wolfe said. "I don't want my mom to be remembered as just a victim. She was so much more than that. She was resilient and she was a fighter. She deserved to live her life and watch her family grow."

Wolfe said the arrest has lifted some of the burden her family has carried for decades.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at 912-389-4103 or the Coffee County Sheriff's Office at 912-384-4227.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)