A cold case that has haunted Waycross for more than 40 years may finally be heading for a courtroom. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested a 68-year-old Ware County man in connection with the 1984 rape and killing of 22-year-old Sandra Kaye Davis after investigators say new DNA work tied him to old crime scene evidence.
Arrest and charges
According to WSB-TV, the suspect is Freddie Lee Granger Jr., 68. He was arrested on March 31 and is charged with one count of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, one count of rape and one count of aggravated assault. Investigators told the outlet that continued DNA testing by the GBI and the Waycross Police Department linked Granger to evidence preserved from the original crime scene, a development publicly announced in a GBI release.
Where the case began
Waycross police first found Davis’s body on September 1, 1984, beside a home on Kollock Street and determined she had been strangled, according to WALB. Local officers brought in the GBI at the time, and the file never closed, with investigators periodically reworking preserved evidence as forensic technology improved. The newly reported arrest stems from what authorities describe as ongoing DNA testing of that original material.
How investigators linked him
The GBI's Regional Investigative Office in Douglas led the push to locate and arrest Granger, with backup from the Ware County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision and the GBI Cold Case Unit, Action News Jax reported. Officials credited advances in DNA testing along with long-term evidence preservation for making the alleged match possible. Authorities have not released any technical details about the laboratory work or specific testing methods used.
Charges and what comes next
Granger was booked into the Ware County Jail, and the investigation is still active, WSB-TV reports. Once investigators wrap up their work, they plan to turn the full case file over to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for a decision on prosecution. Authorities have not released an arraignment date or any bond information.
Cold-case science and context
This arrest falls in line with a broader wave of cold cases being revived as DNA technology improves, including forensic genealogy. The GBI has used similar tools in other Ware County cases, such as identifying a 1988 infant known for decades only as “Baby Jane Doe,” according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Those breakthroughs have given families long-awaited answers while also fueling debate over investigative methods and privacy. Local officials say they plan to keep reviewing evidence as the case moves toward the prosecution stage.
Legal note
The charges against Granger are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The Waycross Judicial Circuit will decide how to proceed after receiving the completed GBI investigative file. If the district attorney pursues formal charges, the case will move into arraignment and the usual series of pretrial hearings in local court.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at 912-389-4103, call the anonymous tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), or submit information online through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation website. Ware County authorities and the GBI are asking residents to come forward with any details that could help, and stress that tips can be shared confidentially for those who prefer to remain anonymous.
