Human remains found during search for missing East Point man, police say
Investigators and volunteers searching for a missing 20-year-old East Point man found human remains Sunday in the woods behind an apartment complex, in a spot no one had looked before.
The East Point Police Department confirmed that on Sunday, May 31, officers, detectives and members of Georgia Emergency Search and Rescue located human remains in a wooded area behind the Reserve at Redwine apartments, according to a statement from the department.
Georgia Emergency Search and Rescue, a nonprofit volunteer search organization, told CBS News Atlanta that 20-year-old Derek Samuel's family contacted them Monday after earlier searches had not turned up results. The organization, which has approximately 150 members statewide and includes law enforcement, medical staff and trained searchers, reviewed maps of previously searched areas before deploying.
"Sunday was a great day, weather forecast so we put it out to all our team in the state of Georgia," a Georgia Emergency Search and Rescue spokesperson said. "We got there at 10 a.m., prayed with the family, and by 2 p.m. we found his body in the woods behind the apartment building, one of the places not checked before."
However, East Point police said in a statement that the remains have not been positively identified and the investigation remains ongoing.
The discovery comes roughly a month after Samuel was last seen on April 29 at the Target on Marketplace Boulevard, according to East Point police. Samuel had been driven to the store by friends. Surveillance footage reportedly captured him leaving the store and walking toward Commerce Drive before he vanished. Investigators later located his cell phone in a wooded area behind the shopping center.
Samuel's mother, Nishae Samuel, previously described her son as cheerful and outgoing, with dreams of starting his own clothing line. His disappearance had taken a heavy emotional toll on his family, including his twin sister.
East Point Police Chief Buchanan is asking for public patience as investigators work to determine the identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding the discovery. Due to the active nature of the investigation, police say no additional information is available at this time.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact the East Point Police Department Criminal Investigations Division. A $15,000 reward is being offered for information that helps investigators in the case.
