GBI investigating death of Athens man whose body was found in Jackson County

By Joe Johnson

At the request of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating the death of 29-year-old Athens resident Antowne Shalmar Lay, whose body was found near the intersection of Antioch Church Road and Gus Barnett Road in Nicholson.

Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum would not say where Lay was believed to have been killed, or give the reason for why she asked the GBI to take the case.

“Those questions won't be answered at this time due to this being an ongoing investigation,” she said.

Other law enforcement sources said that Lay had been picked up in a vehicle in the Nellie B neighborhood of Athens and driven to where his body was later found, with shell casings scattered around him.

Lay’s death was apparently drug related, either a deal gone wrong or one that became a robbery, according to a local law enforcement source.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 706-367-8718 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens at 706-552-2309.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online