Missing Buford man’s death a mystery, but case is far from cold. What really happened?

Dental records confirmed that remains found in a heavily wooded area in East Dublin were those of a missing Buford man. But what happened to 43-year-old Brian Samples remains a mystery.

“We’re not saying it’s foul play right now,” East Dublin Police Chief Bill Luecke said. “We’re treating it as a questionable death.”

The cause of death has yet to be determined, Luecke said.

Samples’ family thinks his death was a homicide.

His last contact with his family was via a text July 6 that said he’d met up with some “bad people,” said his sister, Lori Duncan.

“Nothing is going to bring my brother back and ideally I would loved to have brought him home whole and happy like we knew him,” Duncan said. “But aside from that ... we want the people responsible held accountable.”

Samples was last seen alive July 6 at the Red Carpet Inn in East Dublin where he’d been staying for about one to two weeks, Luecke said.

His family reported him missing to East Dublin police July 26.

“This is still a fresh case,” Luecke said. “By no means is it cold. We’ve got plenty of running to do with it.”

Samples’ belongings and his car were still at the motel. Duncan said the motel staff thought he’d skipped out on a bill and put his belongings in storage.

His family searched for him for months.

In early October, authorities found remains in a thickly wooded area about a quarter mile behind the motel where Samples had been staying.

Samples previously had been staying at a home in Dodge County while he attended a court-ordered rehabilitation facility, his family said. He had a relapse prior to his disappearance and left the rehabilitation program.

The remains were sent off to a GBI crime lab for testing.

His family received word that the GBI had made a positive identification on Nov. 6.

A skilled carpenter and a Christian, Samples also had been doing carpentry work in the area and ministering at nursing homes, Duncan said.

“My brother did have issues with addiction,” Duncan said. “But he was a really good man who loved the Lord and made a positive impact on a lot of lives.

“He’s very loved and we miss him every single day,” she said.

A celebration of his life is planned for Jan. 4 in East Dublin. Details are still being worked out and Duncan expects to post details of the event on Facebook.

“Basically, what we wanted to do was give the people .. who have helped us with the search, who sent in information and called us with tips and who kept up with the Facebook page an opportunity to grieve with us and also celebrate Brian’s life,” Duncan said.

“... He had lots of good friends in south Georgia so we wanted to give them an opportunity to say their goodbyes as well,” she said.

This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 7:00 AM.