Two bodies found in Clayton County subdivision, police say
Clayton County police find two bodies in garage
Clayton County Police officers discovered two unidentified bodies inside the garage of a home on Centerra Drive on Monday, Sept. 7 Investigators arrived in the Panhandle Valley subdivision to conduct a welfare check after neighbors reported missing trash pick-ups.
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Clayton County police are investigating after officers conducting a welfare check discovered two bodies inside a Panhandle Valley subdivision home on Monday afternoon.
Panhandle Valley welfare check
What we know:
Officers arrived at a home on Centerra Drive in the Panhandle Valley subdivision on Monday, Sept. 7, after receiving a request for a welfare check. Upon arrival, investigators found two unidentified bodies inside the garage of the residence.
Neighborhood safety update
What they're saying:
Police maintained that there is no active danger to the surrounding Panhandle Valley community following the discovery.
A longtime neighbor who has lived on Centerra Drive for nearly a decade said she noticed, what she now considers, warning signs over the past three weeks. Earnestine Hill observed that she had not seen her neighbor. Typically, she would see the household’s trash cans put out for pickup. Plus, a truck parked outside had not moved recently. Hill noted that she smelled an unfamiliar odor near the property when police arrived.
Hill told FOX 5 Atlanta she arrived almost ten years ago, just before the female victim. Hill described her as a friendly young woman who frequently walked her dog, though she did not know the man who had been living at the home recently.
Hill told reporters she never heard any arguments or unusual noises coming from the house prior to the police arrival.
"I get to see her out a lot other than walking her dog. Occasionally, I see her driver car, but she was, like, always in the house. And not that that’s weird," Hill said. "I never heard anything."
Reflecting on the scene, Hill added, "You just don't, you know."
Investigation continues
What's next:
Detectives with the Clayton County Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division have taken over the case to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Cause of death unknown
What we don't know:
Medical examiners have not yet completed autopsies on the two bodies found in the garage.
Authorities have not identified the names of the victims or confirmed how and when they died. Investigators have not outlined what potential circumstances led to their deaths.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from official statements by the Clayton County Police Department, the county coroner's office, and direct interviews with Centerra Drive resident Earnestine Hill.