Authorities call off search in decades-old missing person case in Haralson County

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - UPDATE: Authorities have called off the search for possible remains of Bobby Gerald “Skin” Daniel in Haralson County, according to the Sheriff’s office.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Several local agencies are working to exhume a secret Haralson County grave after catching a major break in a decades-old missing person case.

Bobby Gerald “Skin” Daniel was reported missing in the fall of 1988 after leaving his construction job with a family member.

On May 10, the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office say they received a lead on the possible location of his body, prompting investigators to revisit the case.

On Friday, a search warrant was obtained to canvass the area. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations, along with Piedmont University’s Forensic Team, Banks County Sheriff’s Office, Warner Robins Police Department, and the Georgia Body Recovery Team, were called to assist.

Haralson County officials announced they found anomalies at the site after a cadaver dog alerted investigators.

“This is an over 34-year-old missing person case. That is 34 years of his family not knowing where he was or what happened to him,” Haralson County Sheriff Stacy Williams said. “We may not be able to give them all the answers they want, but our goal is to be able to give Mr. Bobby Daniel back to his family for a proper burial.”

Identification of the anomalies has not been made at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Bobby Gerald “Skin” Daniel, you are asked to contact the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office.

The Haralson County Sheriff’s Office. released the following statement:

“On May 26, 2023, a search warrant was obtained and served on a property on Daniel Road in hopes of locating the remains of Bobby Gerald “Skin” Daniel, who had been missing since early fall 1988. On May 10, 2023, Sheriff Stacy Williams was advised that there was a lead in a missing person cold case and contacted Captain Donnie Mapp to take the lead in the case. Captain Mapp met with the son of the Bobby Gerald Daniel and was told that a short time before the death of Jerry Daniel, the son was told that he deserved to know what had happened to his father and that he would not tell him while he was alive, but after his death, someone would come and talk to him. Jerry Daniel was the last person seen with Bobby Daniel when he went missing. A short time after the death of the Jerry Daniel, someone from outside the family came to him and told him what had happened to his father, who was allegedly involved and the location.

The confidential informant did not want to speak to Law Enforcement but did speak to an officer of the court and told the same exact story including details of where and how the body was buried. The search warrant for the property was obtained on that consistent and detailed information from the informant. The Cadaver dog from the Georgia Body Recovery Team hit on the exact area that was described as where Bobby Daniel was buried and the Ground Penetrating Radar confirmed that there were anomalies. There were also visible signs that the ground had been disturbed in the past. After hours of digging by the Piedmont Forensic Response Team, it was noted that they had reached levels of soil that had not been disturbed. The search area was widened but nothing was located. At this time, we are calling the search due to the remains not being where the ground was disturbed and the Cadaver Dog not alerting on the surrounding areas.

At this time, we do not know if the body was moved after it was buried at that location or if the deathbed confession of the Jerry Daniel was not true. This case will continue to be worked, if anyone has any information at all, please contact the Haralson County Sheriff’s office. We would like to thank the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Crime Scene Specialist Lee Weathersby, Dillon Nelson and Cadaver Dog Jakoby with the Georgia Body Recovery Team, the Piedmont University Forensic Response Team led by Bruce Willis, Piedmont University Vice President of Academic Affairs and Forensic Professor and Katrina Willis, Forensic Manager for the Banks County Sheriff’s Office along with Captain John Lannaeu, Forensic Lab Director of Warner Robins Police Department. Additional thanks go out to Pine Grove Baptist Church for graciously allowing us to use their fellowship hall and Terry Edwards and Terry Fennell with the Haralson County Road Department.

“We are very disappointed in the outcome today, our goal was to be able to give this family some closure and their loved one back so they could bury him,” states Sheriff Stacy Williams. “When leads like this come in, we will exhaust every effort to try and solve the case and get answers for the family.””

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