Deputies found human remains in a Georgia pond. Four years later, they now know his identity

COOK COUNTY, Ga. — Authorities have identified a set of human remains that were discovered in a Georgia pond four years ago.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call on March 4, 2019 after the caller spotted a body in a pond off Ed Lindsey Road in Lenox.

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Deputies and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources rangers pulled out a partially decomposed body from the pond. GBI agents combed through missing person reports in seven different counties.

However, no matches came back with the reports or the DNA and fingerprints collected from the remains. A forensic artist put together a sketch, which led to some leads but ultimately a dead end for investigators.

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Last year, the GBI submitted the DNA to Othram, Inc. for advanced DNA testing with funding from the Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

A match came back for 36-year-old Jeremiah Garretson from Nashville, Georgia and the GBI notified his family in May.

An autopsy confirmed Garretson’s death was an accidental drowning.

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