East Point police believe human remains found in woods are missing 20-year-old Derek Samuel; no foul play suspected

East Point's mayor and police chief stood before cameras Wednesday morning to deliver the news a family had feared for more than a month.

East Point Police Chief Sean Buchanan said authorities now strongly believe that human remains found over the weekend in a heavily wooded area behind an apartment complex belong to Derek Samuel, the 20-year-old man who disappeared April 29 after visiting a Target store in the city. The remains have not been positively identified, but Buchanan said clothing and other factors lead investigators to believe it is Samuel.

"At this point, we do not suspect any foul play," Buchanan said at a press conference Wednesday. He repeated the statement twice, directly addressing what he called thousands of rumors and speculations circulating on social media.

East Point Mayor Keisha Chapman opened the press conference by offering condolences to Samuel's family and urging the public to be mindful of what they share online.

"Our community sends our deepest condolences to his family," Chapman said. "I implore everyone that is on social media to be mindful of the family at this time."

According to Buchanan, investigators tracked Samuel's movements through the city's real-time Prime Center cameras on April 29. Surveillance footage showed Samuel at the Target and several other stores at the Camp Creek Marketplace before he walked across the street to an adjacent gated apartment complex, entering behind a vehicle. Detectives subsequently went door to door at every apartment in the complex looking for anyone who knew Samuel.

Cell phone records showed triangulation placing Samuel's phone in the woods behind the apartment complex. On May 16, detectives searched the area with five cadaver dogs, walking more than four miles through dense vegetation for six hours without locating him. A second search was conducted with additional cadaver dogs, again without results.

On May 31, working in collaboration with Georgia Emergency Search and Rescue and the Central Georgia Rescue Team, investigators returned to the same wooded area and located human remains after approximately three hours of searching. On June 1, investigators returned and found additional human remains, as well as Samuel's cell phone and a handgun.

Lt. Rick Michaud of the East Point Police Department said the discovery was a collaborative effort between the department and the search and rescue teams.

"We had teams out with them, a detective that was with their team, so it was a collaborative effort between them and us, and we appreciate them," Michaud said.

Buchanan said the search was significantly delayed by weather, including a stretch of seven consecutive days of rain, which prevented the use of cadaver dogs. He also said the investigation was hampered by a flood of conflicting tips from social media, including multiple people claiming to have seen or spoken to Samuel after he disappeared.

"Social media is a double-edged sword," Buchanan said. "We had psychics calling us, we had people saying they saw him, multiple people called us and said they talked to him, so we had to follow all those leads. It mostly hindered, unfortunately, in this case."

Buchanan also said a delay in receiving cell phone records from Samuel's carrier, which took more than a week to return, caused a significant setback in pinpointing the search area.

When asked whether suicide had been ruled out, Buchanan said it had not. 

"We have not ruled suicide out, but I can assure you right now we don't see any foul play," he said. 

He declined to comment on whether the handgun found near the remains was connected to Samuel's death, saying that information had not been released.

Buchanan defended his department's handling of the case, pushing back on criticism that the search took too long.

"It may not appear that way looking from the outside, because it took so long to find him, but we immediately went door to door in that apartment complex," he said. "We were searching lakes, we were following leads, we were using different search rescue teams. We did so many things to this case that a lot of people just don't know, because we didn't announce it on social media."

He added that the investigation is not yet closed.

"There are some loose ends we want to tie up, and that's what we're working on right now," Buchanan said.

In a statement, Samuel's family says they strongly disagree with the police department's conclusions.

"We the family of Derek Samuel strongly disagree with the East Point Police Department's insulting view and outcome on this case," the statement read. "We ask for the continued prayers and support of everyone who loves, cares and stands in support of our family and Derek. Please stand with us in support as we demand justice for Derek."

A $15,000 reward remains available for information that assists investigators. Anyone with information is asked to contact the East Point Police Department Criminal Investigations Division.