Firefighter and wife murdered inside their Cobb County home, toddler son found safe

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police have arrested a man after a Cobb County couple were found shot to death in their home Thursday.

The home is located along Verbena Drive in the Acworth area. Investigators said the bodies were found around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Justin Hicks, a 31-year-old Cherokee County firefighter, and his wife, 31-year-old Amber, were shot to death inside their home, police say.

Investigators say they also found the Hicks’ 2-year-old toddler unharmed in the home. The child is now with family members.

On Saturday, Cobb County police said they had warrants to charge Matthew Lanz, 22, with murder. Lanz was already in custody in Fulton County after police said he stabbed a Sandy Springs police officer during a home invasion on Friday.

Channel 2 Action News learned that Lanz lived in a home that shared a backyard fence with the Hicks home.

Another man who lived at the home and is believed to be his brother, Austin Lanz, was arrested in April for breaking into the home on Verbena Drive and harassing the former homeowners. Austin Lanz went on to stab a Pentagon Police Officer to death in August before he was shot and killed.

It’s unclear what relationship, if any, Matthew Lanz had with the Hicks family and police have not determine a motive for their murders.

Cherokee County Fire Chief Tim Prather released a statement about Justin Hicks, saying he had been with the department for over six years.

“It is a sad day for our department to officially announce the loss of our brother, Justin Hicks, who was found deceased yesterday along with his wife, Amber Hicks,” Prather wrote. “He has always been recognized as a happy, funny, loved by many kind of guy. He was always a highly motivated, energetic individual who deeply loved his job as a firefighter and consistently worked to do better and be better every day. He was really thrilled on his recent accomplishment of completing his paramedic program training. Justin has touched and impacted many lives, and he will be dearly missed. Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of a member of our family and his lovely wife. Cherokee County Fire sends out our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Justin Hicks. We ask that everyone please respect the privacy of the Hicks family and our fire family as we mourn our loss and prepare for the coming days.”

Every fire station in Cherokee County had flags flying at half-staff Friday.

Justin Hicks (Cherokee County Fire Departme)

TRENDING STORIES:

Neighbors who live in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden that they had no idea anything was wrong until they saw police and crime tape.

“It’s insane. This is a very nice neighborhood and never have police in here and helicopters flying. It’s very crazy,” neighbor Riley Gasaway said.

Neighbors said the couple had moved into their home just a few months ago.

“They were just really sweet people, so I just can’t imagine who did this to them. It’s terrible,” said neighbor Hannah Mabrey.

Mabrey says she watched with tears in her eyes as an officer rushed the uninjured child out of the house and into his grandparents’ arms.

“I run up the street, they’re freaking out and crying, and the police brings the child out holding him by his torso, runs him out, and the grandmother grabbed him, and the grandfather grabbed him, and they’re crying and freaking out saying, ‘Where’s my baby?’” she recalled.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Family and friends are remembering the young couple as a loving, caring family that would do anything for their community.

Neighbor Emery Rogers said they went all-out decorating for Halloween.

“They had these inflatables, they were telling all of their next door neighbors how excited they were to be in this neighborhood,” Rogers said.

Channel 2 reached out to several friends and family members who were too emotional to speak on camera.

IN OTHER NEWS:

This browser does not support the video element.