Man with dead body in car was rescued after jumping in lake to escape, Georgia cops say
When Georgia deputies found the car a missing woman was believed to be in, they said the driver exited the vehicle and started running away in a panic before jumping into a nearby lake.
When the man was unable to swim, deputies rescued him from the water.
It all began when deputies received a report of a missing person the morning of March 23, according to a news release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Toriyahna Proctor, 21, from Monroe County, about 25 miles northwest of Macon, was reported missing that day after she was last heard from the night before, deputies said.
The woman was known to be traveling with the father of her child, Jadarius Watts, 22, in a black Chevrolet Malibu, according to the release.
Deputies began their investigation and said they located the Malibu parked near a boat ramp around noon on March 23.
Watts was sitting in the front seat of the car before exiting the vehicle so deputies could begin a pat-down search, according to the release.
But when deputies attempted to conduct the search, Watts started running away and jumped into Lake Juliette.
“He was unable to swim and was rescued by the deputies,” according to the sheriff’s office.
After deputies placed Watts in handcuffs, they said they found Proctor’s body in the car.
The man is charged with obstruction of law enforcement, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, kidnapping, aggravated assault and murder, according to the release.
