New evidence found in 10-year-old slaying of Georgia couple
EATONTON, Ga. (WJBF) – FBI Atlanta is releasing new information in a 10-year-old Georgia cold case.
Russell and Shirley Dermond of Lake Oconee, Georgia, were found murdered in May of 2014.
The decapitated body of 88-year-old Russell Dermond was found May 6, 2014, in the garage of his home on Lake Oconee. Authorities pulled the body of his wife, 87-year-old Shirley Dermond, from the lake on May 16th, 2014 after it was found by a fisherman.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency. Since shortly after the discovery of the murders, FBI Atlanta has been assisting, along with other agencies.
In conjunction with Sheriff Howard Sills, FBI Atlanta Special Agent Andy Smith confirmed Thursday that additional DNA has been found in connection with the case.
“This is a crime that has really had an affect on a wonderful community in Georgia, and it has had an affect on the sheriff’s office there, the investigators…,” remarked Special Agent Smith. “It was such a horrific crime. It’s really a convergence of events that has caused this case to go unsolved especially with the amount of work that people have been putting into it. It is a bit different than some of the other cases. The evidence and the way these crimes were committed, in over 20 years in the FBI, I’ve never seen a case like this.”
The evidence has been sent to a private DNA lab for further testing.
Additional evidence is being sent to the FBI Lab at Quantico for testing as well.
Sheriff Sills and Special Agent Smith say this is the first time they have found DNA evidence that did not belong to either of the victims.
If there is enough DNA evidence, investigators can possibly put this into a national database to potentially identify a suspect.
The FBI Atlanta is also announcing a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the brutal crime.
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