Georgia teens killed by lightning strike while on fishing trip, GBI says

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Joey Nelson Jr. and Randall Martin III were killed by a lightning strike while on a fishing trip last week, officials say. (GoFundMe)

WAYCROSS, Ga. - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the deaths of two Waycross teens believed to have been struck by lightning.

The bodies of 18-year-old Joey Nelson Jr. and 19-year-old Randall Martin III were found on July 10 when they never returned home from a fishing trip in Ware County.

What we know:

Authorities with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say they were called to an area near Alton Circle in Waycross after family members reported the deaths.

Investigators believe Nelson and Martin were fishing when they were overtaken by a severe thunderstorm.

The teens were heading to their car when they were reportedly struck by lightning. Investigators say both bodies and the car appeared to have lightning damage.

What they're saying:

A GoFundMe to help support Nelson's family remembered the Ware County High School Class graduate as a man "full of promise and deeply loved by his family, friends, and community." 

"His sudden loss has left an unfillable void in the hearts of all who knew him," organizers wrote.

A GoFundMe for Martin said that he was nicknamed "Bubba" and loved fishing.

"He touched the lives of so many in different ways," the GoFundMe reads.

What's next:

The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in Pooler will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of death of the two teens. When the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

What you can do:

If you have any information that could help with the investigation, call the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at (912) 389-4103, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office at (912) 287-4326, or send a tip to 1-800-597-8477.