Navy sailor who vanished from Atlanta airport found dead near Georgia River

TELFAIR COUNTY, Ga. — A missing person’s case has turned into an investigation after a 25-year-old Navy sailor was found dead Monday afternoon.

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According to APD, the last time 25-year-old Devin Jeter, of Scottdale, GA was ever seen was the night of Nov.7. Police said Jeter was dropped off at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and rented a 2024 silver Jeep Compass with a Florida license plate EWAG47.

Officials said Jeter was headed to Jacksonville, Fla., where he was stationed in the U.S. Navy. When the 25-year-old didn’t show up for work the next day, his co-workers alerted his family, leading them to file a missing person report.

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said, on Monday just before 1 p.m., a fisherman discovered a body at a boat landing along the Ocmulgee River. Telfair County Sheriff Sim Davidson asked the GBI to help with the investigation.

Authorities identified the victim as Jeter, who had been reported missing three days earlier.

Telfair County is about three hours or 171 miles from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

While the GBI says its Coastal Crime Lab found no apparent injuries during an autopsy, investigators are awaiting more forensic tests to provide more insights.

The GBI said the Jeep Compass that Jeter rented has not yet been found.

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The GBI is urging anyone who may have seen Jeter or the Jeep Compass between Atlanta and Lumber City to come forward.

Call the GBI regional investigative office in Eastman at 478-374-6988, or share tips anonymously via the GBI’s tip line at 1-800-597-8477, online, or through the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.

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