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A Navy sailor was found dead in the Ocmulgee River, the GBI needs help finding his missing car

A Jacksonville-based member of the Navy was reported missing to Atlanta police. Four days later, he was found dead in the Ocmulgee River.

TELFAIR COUNTY, Ga. — A Telfair County fisherman found a dead body in the Ocmulgee River in Lumber City, and now, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking for a car possibly connected to the man's death, according to a GBI release.

The release said Devin Jeter, 25, was found by the fisherman at a boat landing along the Ocmulgee River around 1 p.m. on Monday. The release added that Telfair County Sheriff Sim Davidson asked the GBI to help with the investigation. 

According to the release, the GBI learned that Jeter had been reported missing to the Atlanta Police Department last week after he was last seen at the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Thursday. 

They say he was heading to Jacksonville to return to his post with the U.S. Navy. 

According to the release, Jeter rented a 2024 silver Jeep Compass with a Florida license plate EWAG47 to drive down to Jacksonville, but he didn't show up to work the next day. His coworkers notified Jeter's family who then reported him missing on Friday. 

Credit: GBI

The GBI said that an autopsy conducted at the GBI Coastal Crime Lab didn't find any specific injuries, but are continuing the investigation, including searching for the missing car.

Anyone who had seen Jeter or the silver Jeep Compass between Atlanta and Lumber City, Georgia can call the GBI regional investigative office in Eastman at 478-374-6988. Alternatively, you can send anonymous tips via the GBI's tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at GBI's tip submission page, or through the "See Something, Send Something" mobile app.

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