A 68-year-old Alabama man is wanted under a murder warrant in connection with the death of a Georgia woman who vanished seven months ago, following a day-long manhunt that ended with a sheriff wrestling two knives away from him in the Mississippi woods. Comer McWaters, of Macon County's Little Texas community, was taken into custody in Perry County, Mississippi, after deputies tracked him down near his mother's residence in Buck Creek.
Eden Sexton, 49, disappeared from Columbus, Georgia, in February 2026, according to al.com. Friends and family told the outlet Sexton was last reportedly seen at McWaters' home before she went missing. ALEA special agents developed evidence resulting in a murder warrant for McWaters in connection with her death, capping a case that stretched across three states before investigators closed in.
According to Now Georgia, Sexton was reported missing by the Columbus Police Department after she was last seen at the Econo Lodge motel on Victory Drive, where her vehicle and personal belongings were reportedly left behind. Columbus police investigators contacted ALEA's State Bureau of Investigation about her disappearance in June 2026, four months after she vanished, and state agents formally designated McWaters as a person of interest before taking over the case. ALEA special agents went on to develop evidence that resulted in the murder warrant against him.
Family Claims Point to Forensic Evidence
Family members have disclosed publicly on Facebook that state investigators matched Sexton's DNA to blood evidence found in McWaters' vehicle, home, and a burn barrel on his property, per the same Now Georgia report. Alabama's State Bureau of Investigation has not officially confirmed those specific details. Separately, blood found in McWaters' house, shed and car was said by family and friends on Facebook to match Sexton's DNA, though that account was not corroborated by official state statements either.
A person named Comer Edward McWaters was listed as being of Little Texas in a funeral notice from the Jeffcoat Trant Funeral Home.
A Tip, a Chase Into the Woods
Perry County authorities received a call on September 21 about a suspicious man who had recently moved from Alabama to Buck Creek, Mississippi, the caller said he was believed to be using an alias and might be hiding there to avoid arrest. Perry County Sheriff Jacob Garner told Now Georgia he had personally observed McWaters working construction in Mississippi over several days before that tip came in. Deputies went to the home, and McWaters fled into the woods, triggering a day-long manhunt.
Garner later recognized McWaters after seeing him emerge from the woods onto the driveway of the sheriff's mother's Buck Creek residence that evening. The suspect became combative and was armed with two knives when Garner approached, the sheriff said, according to al.com. Garner said McWaters physically resisted despite being 68 years old, but the sheriff disarmed and subdued him, taking him into custody. CNAW2 News reported the same account of the confrontation in Garner's mother's driveway.
Extradition and No-Bond Custody Ahead
After the arrest, Garner entered McWaters' verified identity into the National Crime Information Center database and discovered the active Alabama murder warrant, Now Georgia reported. Authorities confirmed McWaters was wanted in Alabama, and he was booked into the Perry County Jail on local Mississippi charges including simple assault on an officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, trespassing, and providing false identification to law enforcement, as Now Georgia reported.
McWaters is being held in Perry County pending extradition to Alabama. Authorities said he would be held in Alabama without bond after extradition proceedings are complete. The Perry County Sheriff's Office made statements about the arrest.
