Body of missing East Point man found after month-long search, family says

The Brief

  • Search crews found the body of 20-year-old Derek Samuel following a month-long missing person investigation.
  • Jim Lopez and his K9 Jager located the missing man in a wooded area behind an East Point apartment complex, the crew said.
  • Investigators previously traced his phone to Redwine Road, but weeks of searches yielded no clues after Samuel vanished on April 29.

EAST POINT, Ga. The body of a missing 20-year-old man has been recovered in a wooded area behind an East Point apartment complex following a month-long search, according to his family.

What we know:

Georgia Emergency Search & Rescue crews discovered the body of Derek Samuel in a wooded area behind the Reserve at Redwine Apartments, family members said. According to the search crew, K-9 Jager and his handler, Jim Lopez, were the first to discover Samuel’s body.

The finding follows an extensive, weeks-long effort to locate the 20-year-old, who vanished after leaving a Target store at Camp Creek Marketplace on April 29.

Story continues

TRENDING NOW

LATEST LOCAL NEWS