One year ago this week was the last time anyone saw Bud and June Runion alive.
The case shocked Central Georgia and the nation.
"It was probably one of the hardest days in my career when the bodies were found," Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson said.
Steverson said he recalls the day his team discovered that Bud and June Runion had been murdered.
In January 2015, the Marietta couple traveled to Telfair County, planning to purchase a car from a Craigslist ad. When they didn't return home, the Runions' daughters filed a missing person's report. Then Telfair County deputies and other law officials began the search to locate the pair.
The Runions' car was found in a lake, and their bodies were discovered off a dirt road in a rural part of Telfair County. Steverson said his team learned a lot from this case.
"If it has taught myself one thing, it is to focus your resources on the small crimes, when the small thefts, when they occur," he said. "And hopefully we can prevent criminals from graduating to higher levels, and as in this case, we had a murder."
Steverson said the Telfair County community came to feel like the Runions were a part of their family.
"It's emotional for me now. Because you know, those were some very dear people," he said. "And I don't think you could've searched the state of Georgia and found a couple who were held in higher regards than the Runions."
Telfair County resident, Jay Towns, was charged for the double murder and is currently awaiting trial. The Runion family declined to comment.
