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Authorities are investigating the discovery of a badly burned body found Saturday morning in Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park. A hiker made the report anonymously around 8:18 a.m. after discovering the body in a rarely visited rock crevice, about 100 yards from the Summit Skyride cable car tower. The location was off the main walking trail but not considered remote. According to the Stone Mountain Department of Public Safety, the man is believed to be a young adult, and investigators are working to confirm his identity using personal items and a vehicle found nearby. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and DeKalb County Fire Rescue’s arson unit are assisting in the case, and an autopsy is scheduled to determine the cause of death.
This is the first known incident of its kind at the park, which has been the site of both family recreation and social controversy due to its prominent Confederate monument. While the gondola lift was shut down the day of the discovery, officials said it was due to wind, not the investigation. The park remains open as authorities continue their work.
UPDATE: 12:21pm EDT 6/1/25 - According to John Bankhead of the Stone Mountain Park Police Department, DeKalb County police got a 911 call around 8:18 a.m. from a hiker who said they had found a burned body under a rock crevice at the park.
The Stone Mountain Park Department of Public Safety released a statement saying the parents of the man, a white male in his 20s, provided a note to Stone Mountain Park police, indicating the death to be a suicide. "The note was very specific about the method and location of the planned suicide which was consistent with the death scene," the statement reads in part. "Given the sensitivity and possible impact of reporting of suicides, Park police are not releasing the name of the deceased..."
Coverage:
- NBC News
- NYPost
- Local Fox Affiliate
This is the first known incident of its kind at the park, which has been the site of both family recreation and social controversy due to its prominent Confederate monument. While the gondola lift was shut down the day of the discovery, officials said it was due to wind, not the investigation. The park remains open as authorities continue their work.
UPDATE: 12:21pm EDT 6/1/25 - According to John Bankhead of the Stone Mountain Park Police Department, DeKalb County police got a 911 call around 8:18 a.m. from a hiker who said they had found a burned body under a rock crevice at the park.
The Stone Mountain Park Department of Public Safety released a statement saying the parents of the man, a white male in his 20s, provided a note to Stone Mountain Park police, indicating the death to be a suicide. "The note was very specific about the method and location of the planned suicide which was consistent with the death scene," the statement reads in part. "Given the sensitivity and possible impact of reporting of suicides, Park police are not releasing the name of the deceased..."
Coverage:
- NBC News
- NYPost
- Local Fox Affiliate
