On the afternoon of July 3, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called upon to examine a startling discovery in Dade County: the body of John Richard Sweatt, found floating in a local pond. Deputies from the Dade County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the site in the 2000 block of New Home Road in Trenton, GA, upon receiving a 911 call alerting them to the presence of the body. The Fire and Rescue Departments aided in recovering the man from the water.
Identification was made through the tattoos adorning his body, and a driver's license found in his pocket, combined with confirmation from family members. The deceased, Sweatt, was wanted for aggravated sexual battery charges and failure to appear in court, as sourced by the GBI's announcement.
An autopsy is scheduled at the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office as part of the investigative process. While the details of Sweatt's demise remain shrouded in the uncertain cloak of pending inquiry, the GBI maintains an appeal to the public for anyone with information to step forward. This active investigation, which remains tightly under the wrap of authorities, invites anonymous tips through a hotline at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), an online submission form, or via a mobile app "See Something, Send Something."
The unraveling of this case continues, and once complete, the Lookout Mountain District Attorney’s Office will have the task of reviewing the case file.
