Found Deceased GA - Douglas Cordell Barnes, 36, vehicle found stuck in mud, Hart Co, White Co, 19 July 2023

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  • #1
Authorities in Hart County, Georgia, are searching for a man after his family reported him missing and his vehicle was found stuck in the mud.

The Hart County Sheriff's Office and the White County Sheriff's Office say they are continuing to follow leads and tips regarding the disappearance of Douglas Cordell Barnes.

On July 21, deputies said they found a Gold Ford F-150 sitting off the roadway, stuck in mud at the intersection of Providence Church Road and Knox Bridge Crossing.

The deputy ran the vehicle registration and marked it with an orange sticker. On July 28, Barnes was reported missing to the White County Sheriff's Office by his family.

On July 31, a deputy checked on the vehicle again, and when he ran the registration, he was alerted that Barnes had been reported as missing.

At this time, the White County Sheriff's Office was notified of the location on the vehicle.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of Barnes or has any information as to his whereabouts, you are asked to contact the Hart County Sheriff's Office at 706-376-3114.

Douglas Cordell Barnes, 36, of Cleveland has not been seen or heard from since Saturday, July 19.
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Family members told the White County News and posted on social media it is out of character for him and they are concerned for his well-being. They are currently on their way from Oklahoma in hopes get some answers regarding his whereabouts.

Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland is working with the family to try and locate Barnes.

“We have two leads we’re following, but we’re not ready to release any information yet,” Cleveland said. “We’ve done door-to-door searches near the truck.”

According to reports, he was last seen leaving his home in White County wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He is a white male roughly 5’8” tall and weighs 160 pounds. Barnes typically wears a camouflage ball cap.

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The sheriff's office said they've searched multiple areas, gone door to door and followed up on leads in an attempt to find Barnes.

On Thursday, search teams were seen in the area searching for Barnes and any evidence that might help them find him.

The group Texas EquuSearch has put together a search to help the family. They're asking for volunteers to meet on Saturday in the parking lot of the Georgia State Patrol Post at 1529 Knox Bridge Road, Lavonia, Georgia 30553.
 
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  • #2
Douglas Barnes

Deputies in Hart County said they checked the vehicle near Providence Church Road again a few days later and discovered it belong to Barnes.

Following this discovery, deputies searched the area around the truck, visited nearby houses and followed up on leads regarding Barnes. They added that they also searched the area using a helicopter on August 10.
 
  • #3
Moo...usually people just head to the closest houses to see if they can help pull auto out of a stuck situation.
 
  • #4
  • #5
AUG 12, 2023
[...]

The community was invited to help search for Barnes on Saturday morning. Search crews gathered at Georgia State Patrol's command center on Knox Road in Lavonia between 7:45 and 8 a.m.

A helicopter from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is reportedly helping with the search.

[...]

Anyone with information about the missing man is asked to call Hart County Sheriff's Office at 706-376-3114.
 
  • #6
AUG 13, 2023
[...]

Texas EquuSearch, Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Public Safety, and Hart County Emergency Management searched extensively over the last 48 hours for Douglas Cordell Barnes but did not find him. The agencies united on Saturday to broaden the search along with Barnes' family who had driven from Oklahoma to help. As of Sunday, authorities had little information to share.

"We have searched for two days. We did not find Cordell," a family member wrote to 11Alive's Cody Alcorn, offering an update on the search. "We are so grateful for all the people in this community that volunteered their time, services and hearts to this search."

[...]
 
  • #7
AUG 14, 2023
An air and ground search for a missing Georgia man turned up dry as the search for him enters its fourth week.

Debbie says her son loved to fish. It was not unusual for him to head to the lake, but it was not like Cordell to go off without contacting anyone. When deputies impounded his truck, it still had his fishing and camping gear in it.

One of the last times Debbie Barnes spoke with her son, she says he was excited about attending his niece’s upcoming wedding in September. When the couple discussed delaying the nuptials due to finances, Barnes offered to pay for it. He told his mother he was considering buying a new vehicle to make the trip to Oklahoma for the wedding and possibly stay for a couple of weeks to visit.

AUG 15, 2023
Anyone with information about Barnes, knows his current whereabouts or has any information about his disappearance can contact the following agencies to report their tips:
  • White County Sheriff's Office at 706-865-1224
  • Hart County Sheriff’s Office at 706-376-3114
  • Texas EquuSearch at 281-309-9500
 
  • #8
AUG 18, 2023
[...]

“A lot of ground was covered, but not all of it,” said search group coordinator Scott Underwood of Brantley County, Ga.

“There is a lot more to this,” Underwood said Friday about the investigation. Underwood said there is video showing the truck traveling into South Carolina sometime before it ends up on a roadside in Hart County.

Sheriff Cleveland said investigators have no leads on where Barnes might be, whether he is missing voluntarily or if foul play is involved.
 
  • #9

August 18, 2023

A mysterious missing person’s case that began in White County and wades into Hart County has left authorities without answers as to the man’s whereabouts.

**********
Later on Aug. 12, a volunteer group of more than two dozen volunteers conducted a similar search that was led by the volunteer search and rescue group Texas EquuSearch out of Dickinson, Texas.

“A lot of ground was covered, but not all of it,” said search group coordinator Scott Underwood of Brantley County, Ga.

“There is a lot more to this,” Underwood said Friday about the investigation. Underwood said there is video showing the truck traveling into South Carolina sometime before it ends up on a roadside in Hart County.

Sheriff Cleveland said investigators have no leads on where Barnes might be, whether he is missing voluntarily or if foul play is involved.

“All we know for sure is his truck turned up in Hart County. Was he in the truck when it was left? Nobody knows,” he said.

**********
 
  • #10
Sept. 5, 2023

LAVONIA, Ga. — The mother of a man who has been missing for nearly two months said the family believes a body found in Lavonia is him.
Douglas Cordell Barnes was last seen leaving his home on July 19. On Labor Day, the Lavonia Police Department said it was working to identify a body found by David Avenue, near Interstate 85 after someone noticed it via their wildlife camera.

 
  • #11
SEP 6, 2023
[...]

According to reports, at roughly 1 p.m. on Labor Day, a citizen was collecting his wildlife cameras in the woods and discovered a deceased person. The citizen told police he smelled something dead and saw boots and jeans near a tree. The person immediately went back to his vehicle on the road and called the police. An officer responded to the scene and was escorted by the man to where he found the body. Once the officer located the body, she and another officer set up perimeter with caution tape to secure the scene. The Lavonia Police Department requested the assistance of the GBI, and agents were dispatched to the scene.

[...]

Relatives of Barnes posted on social media Tuesday morning stating they received calls from Police Chief Shane Edmisten and the coroner on Monday night telling them that property of Barnes was found on the body located in Lavonia.

Edmisten confirmed Wednesday Barnes’ identification was found on the body. The deceased’s clothing also matched those Barnes’ mother described her son as wearing.

[...]
 
  • #12
Hopefully the cameras will help police.
 
  • #13
Ed Zachary!
 
  • #14
SEP 14, 2023
Franklin County Coroner Scott O’Barr said Tuesday they are still waiting for the results of the dental records he submitted last week.

O’Barr said if the dental records are inconclusive they will have to test the body’s DNA which he was told would take at least 90 days for results to come back.
 
  • #15
  • #16
October 27, 2023

Confirmed to be Douglas Barnes.

LAVONIA, Ga. (FOX Carolina) - Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) officials said a body found near Lavonia was identified as a man who has been missing since July.

The GBI said the Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as Barnes on Oct. 27.

 

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