SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — Two weeks after 82-year-old Garland Warren went missing from Laurens County, two people were brought into custody and charged with theft after Warren's car was discovered Friday in a Dollar General parking lot.
According to a press release from the Spalding County Sheriff's Office, they say Robert Earnest Peppers, 62, and Kelly Gail Osborn, 56, were taken into custody after admitting to taking Warren's car from a ditch and parking it in the Dollar General parking lot in Griffin.
The sheriff's office says Warren is still missing, and they are trying to locate him. Warren's family says he has dementia.
But late Saturday night, they say Peppers and Osborn were interrogated by investigators, and they searched their home.
During the course of the investigation, the sheriff's office says Peppers admitted to driving Warren's vehicle and dropping it off at the Dollar General parking lot. At the same time, Osborn admitted to driving behind Peppers to pick him up after he dropped off the vehicle, the press release said.
The sheriff's office says they then found the ditch where Warren's vehicle had been pulled from. The press release does not say where that ditch was and when Peppers allegedly retrieved Warren's truck, but they found a piece of mail belonging to Warren at the scene.
They then searched Osborn and Peppers' home again on Monday morning and discovered items they believe were recovered from Warren's vehicle.
Osborn and Peppers were charged with theft by receiving stolen property for being in possession of Warren's truck and they are at the Spalding County jail. However, whether their involvement went beyond driving and being in possession of Warren's car is still an open question.
The sheriff's office said that they are still being questioned about any other possible connections to Warren's disappearance.
The press release prompts more questions and offers even fewer answers. However, the sheriff's office notes the investigation into the case and the search for Warren is ongoing. They say the sheriff's office is still going through images, videos and searching for new leads in the investigation.
If you have any information, you are asked to call Lt. Jeff Smith or Sgt. A.J. Hammond with the Spalding County Sheriff's Office at 770-467-4282. They also say you can call the Laurens County Sheriff's Office at 478-272-1522 or the Spalding County 911 Center at 770-229-9911.