Arrest made in decades-old cold case murder of 20-year-old Coffee County mother, GBI says
Nearly three decades after a young Coffee County mother was found stabbed to death near her vehicle, officials say they've made an arrest in her case.
On Sept. 15, 1998, Christy Dawn Myers was found on Broxton-Fitzgerald Highway. Investigators say they determined that the 20-year-old had been stabbed multiple times the night before.
Witnesses reported seeing Myers socializing at a local store. She left alone. Neighbors near the crime scene say they heard a conversation and then a car accelerate. When one neighbor went to see what was going on, they found Myers' body.
The case remained unsolved for the past 28 years, but the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Coffee County Sheriff's Office say they kept working to learn what happened to Myers on that day. With the help of forensic testing and DNA evidence, officials say they identified a suspect, 47-year-old Irwin County resident James Lawrence III.
On Thursday, Lawrence was taken into custody and booked at the Coffee County Jail. He is charged with felony murder, malice murder, and aggravated assault.
"I know this arrest will not give you the years you lost with her, but I hope today shows you that Christy was never forgotten," Coffee County Sheriff Fred T. Cole said, addressing Myers' family in a press conference on Friday.
Chelsea Wolfe, Myers' daughter, said her mom was known and loved for her bubbly and friendly personality.
"She was always excited to meet new people," she said. "She hardly met a stranger."
Wolfe said that her mom loved to take hour-long walks and sing.
"She was a great friend, a loving mother, sister, and daughter," she said. "I don't want my mom to be remembered as just a victim. She was so much more than that. She was resilient and she was a fighter. She deserved to live her life and watch her family grow."
She said a bit of the weight her family has carried for decades has been taken off with the news of the arrest.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at 912-389-4103 or the Coffee County Sheriff's Office at 912-384-4227.
