Suspect charged with murder after man’s body found lying in road near northeast Georgia church

JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. — A 31-year-old has been arrested after a man’s body was found lying on a road in Jackson County.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Antowne Shalmar Lay, 29, of Athens was found near the intersection of Antioch Church Road and Gus Barnett Road in Nicholson, Georgia.

According to the Historical Marker Database, the Antioch United Methodist Church is at that intersection.

On Friday, the GBI arrested and charged William Austin, 31, of Jefferson, with murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence in connection Lay’s death.

No other details were released on what led up to Lay’s death or how his body ended up in the road.

Austin is currently behind bars at the Jackson County Jail.