What began as a serious downtown injury back in January has now become a homicide case in Atlanta, following months of medical treatment and a closer look from the medical examiner.
Authorities say a 59-year-old man was injured near 2 Peachtree Street NW on Jan. 11 and remained hospitalized for more than five months. He died in the hospital on June 23, and an autopsy later found he had suffered blunt force trauma, prompting police to reclassify his death as a homicide connected to that January incident.
According to Atlanta News First, the Fulton County Medical Examiner performed the autopsy on June 24 and listed blunt force trauma as the finding. The Atlanta Police Department has since opened a homicide investigation but has not released the victim’s name or additional case details.
How investigators are treating the case
Per the Atlanta Police Department, the Major Crimes Section's Homicide Unit handles follow-up investigations in suspicious deaths and works with the medical examiner to determine cause and manner of death. Detectives typically canvass the area, review surveillance video and interview witnesses as they build a timeline of what happened. That playbook is now in motion for this downtown case as investigators work to identify any suspects or leads.
How to help
Police have not identified any suspects and have released few specifics about the incident, so they are urging anyone with information to come forward. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Crime Stoppers Atlanta's tip line is 404-577-TIPS (8477), the online portal is StopCrimeAtl.org, and anonymous tips can be sent by texting CSGA to 738477. Tipsters can stay anonymous and may be eligible for a reward if their information leads to an arrest.
The investigation remains active, and authorities say they will share more details as they are able. In the meantime, detectives are continuing to sift through evidence from the January incident while the Homicide Unit pursues any new leads that come in.
