As a result of reaching out to the community on Social Media over the weekend, Detectives believe that they have the possible identity of the deceased male that was located on Friday July 3, 2015 in the area of Ridge Road in Paulding County. Detectives have collected DNA from a possible family member. The DNA from the family member will be compared to the DNA of the deceased male at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Atlanta. Once a 100% positive identification is made, pending the DNA match, we will pass that information on to you all.
Thank you for your patience.

On Friday July 3, 2015 at approximately 1:19 pm, a 911 call was placed to Paulding County E-911 in reference to a possible body being located in the area of 3390 Ridge Road. Upon arrival Deputies confirmed that there was in fact a deceased individual in the wooded area behind the residence. When Deputies spoke with the complainant he stated that he had been smelling something "dead" behind his residence for a few days. When the complainant investigated the smell he observed what appeared to be a deceased body in the wooded area between his residence and the neighbors.

Once Detectives, Agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and Crime Scene Investigators arrived on scene, they cordoned off the area and began processing the scene. At this point, since the body was badly decomposed Detectives and Agents do not have an identity or manner of death for the deceased. The only thing Detectives and Agents can say for sure is that it is a male subject that is deceased. An autopsy will be performed on Monday July 6, 2015 at the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta which will hopefully shed more light on who this individual is and the way in which he died.

Through the course of the investigation, Detectives and Agents spoke with several neighbors and residents in the area. One resident stated that on June 24, 2015 at approximately 12:00 pm a white male in his early 20's walked through her yard and was acting very strangely. The resident stated that the male was jumping around, holding on to a fence, laying on the ground flopping around, and acting as if he was under the influence of some type of illegal narcotic. The resident even had enough presence of mind to video the unknown male while he was acting this way. The resident called 911 but by the time Deputies arrived the individual was gone.

Detectives and Agents have taken a screen shot from the video that the resident filmed on June 24, 2015. The image is attached to the release. Detectives need the public's assistance in trying to identify who this individual is. At this point, Detectives believe that the individual in the photo may possibly be the deceased person that was located on July 3, 2015.

If you have any information on who the individual in the attached photograph is, please call the Paulding County Sheriff's Office at (770) 443-3010.