The FBI's Las Vegas field office is turning up the heat on a notorious Georgia cold case, boosting a renewed offer of up to $20,000 for information in the 2014 killings of Russell and Shirley Dermond at their Lake Oconee home in Putnam County. The elderly couple were found dead in and around their lakeside house, and more than a decade later, the double homicide still has no named suspect.
The fresh push came Wednesday, when the Las Vegas office retweeted an alert from the FBI's Most Wanted account, putting new social media attention on a case that has long haunted the quiet lake community. In its post, FBI Most Wanted pointed followers to the bureau's seeking-information page. The FBI says it is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible, according to the FBI.
For a case that has generated national curiosity and plenty of armchair detectives over the years, even a simple retweet from several states away is enough to remind locals that investigators have not let this one go.
New DNA Testing Revives Investigation
Investigators say the renewed spotlight is not just about keeping the case in the public eye. In 2024, testers identified so-called "touch DNA" on clothing that did not match either victim, a development authorities have described as their best lead in years. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the sample could be run through national databases as lab work is finalized.
That development prompted federal agents to put money on the table and again ask the public to speak up, in hopes that science plus a fresh wave of attention might finally shake loose a crucial tip.
Investigators say the DNA was pulled from items that were retested in recent years and analyzed at national laboratories. Officials told local media the sample does not belong to either Russell or Shirley Dermond and could provide a genetic lead that was missing for the first decade of the investigation. FBI Special Agent Andy Smith, who has worked the file for years, told WMGT that "we never stop looking" and that the bureau hopes the new genetic clues, combined with older cellphone data, will help generate leads, according to WMGT/41NBC.
Sheriff Sills and the FBI have repeated the same simple request as the testing continues. If you know anything, even if it seems minor or half-remembered, they want to hear from you.
How To Submit A Tip
If you have information, you can contact the FBI's Atlanta Field Office at (770) 216-3000 or the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (706) 485-8557, or submit a tip online, according to the FBI. Authorities say even small, previously overlooked details could prove crucial as lab work on the DNA continues.
The Dermonds' children have said the unsolved case "drives us nuts" as investigators mount yet another push for answers, and neighbors told reporters the killings left a lasting mark on the gated Lake Oconee community, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. For locals who remember the grim 2014 discovery, the high-profile retweet from FBI Las Vegas is a pointed reminder that the case is still very much active and that investigators are still waiting for the one tip that finally brings it to a close.
