Beloved grandfather’s car and remains found a year after he vanished, Georgia cops say
A Georgia family finally has answers a year after their loved one vanished over Halloween weekend.
Georgia officials located the remains of Don Hightower on Saturday, Oct. 29, according to Hightower’s family. Hightower was last seen Oct. 30, 2021 around 8 p.m. when he left his sister’s home.
The weekend search for Hightower began after a local deer hunter spotted a car resembling Hightower’s off of Highway 319 on Friday, Oct. 28, according to Laurens County Sheriff Larry Dean . The car’s license plate number matched that of Hightower’s car.
Early Saturday, Laurens County deputies, Georgia Bureau of Investigation offficials, Johnson County deputies and volunteers began a grid search of the area surrounding the car, Dean said in a Facebook post. Remains were located during this search and were transported to the state lab for identification.
Hightower’s family said in a Facebook post on Sunday that ”the family is 100% certain we have found Don,” but official confirmation from the state is still pending.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the search for our father, grandfather, brother, and friend is over,” the family wrote.
The GBI forensic lab is still investigating the evidence, but they believe Hightower suffered a medical emergency the night he disappeared and died, according to his family.
“There is comfort in knowing,” one family member wrote on Facebook.
Hightower, who was from Johnson County, “will always be remembered as one of the friendliest persons,” the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.
Laurens County is about 50 miles southeast of Macon.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Beloved grandfather’s car and remains found a year after he vanished, Georgia cops say."
