The human remains found by fishermen in the Ogeechee River on Dec. 20 have been tentatively identified as those of a Garden City man missing since November.
The remains were matched at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab in Savannah to dental records for 21-year-old Joshua Burnsed, said Garden City police Capt. Gil Ballard, the department’s Criminal Investigation Division commander.
“We received a tentative identification,” Ballard said. “The remains have been forwarded to a specialist, and the investigation at this point continues.”
A missing person case had been opened for Burnsed on Nov. 14 after the man’s mother called police, Ballard said.
Ballard said Burnsed also was wanted on an outstanding warrant.
“We launched a missing persons investigation knowing at the same time he could be on the run from law enforcement,” Ballard said.
The remains were found about 11 a.m. Dec. 20 by fishermen near Kings Ferry Park on the Ogeechee River.
Family members were notified of the tentative identification, Ballard said. The investigation is ongoing, and a cause of death has yet to be determined.
“We don’t know cause of death ... or why he would have been in the river,” Ballard said. “We’re waiting for final confirmation as it relates to those details.”
Police ask that anyone with information pertaining to the case call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or Garden City police at 912-966-7770.
Man injured after crashing stolen car
Police say a Savannah man was injured when he crashed a stolen car Wednesday morning while attempting to avoid an officer who was not pursuing him.
Ronald Antwan Grady, 30, of the 1400 block of East 36th Street, remained under guard at Memorial University Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon, where he was listed in stable condition after surgery following the 10:28 a.m. crash at Augusta Avenue and Millen Street, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman.
Officers had saturated the west Savannah area searching for Grady after he ran from the stolen red Ford Focus he had driven through the intersection trying to avoid a traffic officer in the area, Miller said.
Officers from the department’s Major Accident Investigation Team determined Grady was traveling eastbound on Augusta Avenue at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the Ford and struck a utility pole, Miller said. The impact caused the car to spin into a tree and another pole before it came to rest on the driver’s door side.
Miller said residents in the area directed a responding officer to a house where Grady was found on the front porch.
The car, which was destroyed in the crash, had been reported stolen Tuesday from the grounds of a business in the 600 block of West 51st Street after an employee left keys in the ignition, Miller said.
Grady was released from prison Nov. 4, 2013, after serving a 10-year sentence for burglary, theft, aggravated assault and kidnapping in 2003.
Effingham first responder honored
An Effingham County first responder was honored for Tuesday for superior performance when responding to a tragic wreck in November that claimed the lives of three siblings.
Jennifer Wright, of Effingham County Fire Rescue, was presented a plaque at the Effingham County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday for her actions upon hearing the wreck Nov. 21 that “saved lives and drastically improved response time,” said Edwin Myrick, director of Effingham Emergency Management.
Wright, a full-time fire rescue employee since August who had volunteered since 2006, was off duty when she heard an explosion following a crash in which a pickup truck collided with a fuel tanker on U.S. 17 near Marlow Road, Myrick said.
She was the first responder on scene and was able to quickly assess the situation, communicate information to responding units and clear the roadway at the south end of the collision that included several vehicles and a loaded school bus.
“This is important if you understand the totality of the situation,” Myrick said. “Even though the tanker itself had exploded, it consisted of three separate compartments — and only one compartment had exploded, there was still an estimated 5,000 gallons of ignitable fuel which created a very unstable environment.”
Myrick said it was important to recognize superior work of first responders, like Wright’s in the face of tragedy.
“We sometimes don’t realize the harm that first responders place themselves in when responding to an emergency such as this, not only their physical presence but also the emotional trauma that they are exposed to when witnessing first hand such a traumatic event,” he said. “Every one of the 50-plus personnel involved in the incident that day performed as they were trained and worked together for the common goal.
“I feel that it is extremely important to not only constantly improve in areas which need addressing but to also acknowledge those who perform at an exceptional level: Jennifer Wright is one of those individuals.”
Fire displaces seven
A fire in Savannah’s Metropolitan neighborhood early Wednesday morning displaced seven adults.
Only a minor electrical fire was reported at the building in the 2300 block of Whitaker Street, however the power had to be turned off, forcing the people ranging in age from 18 to 63 years old out of their home, said Robin Wingate, local Red Cross executive director.
The Red Cross’ Chatham County Disaster Action Team provided those affected with funding for temporary shelter.
The Red Cross encourages the public to join in support of assisting disaster victims by becoming volunteers or making a financial donation to the American Red Cross at 41 Park of Commerce Way, Building 200 or by calling 912-651-5300.
Keep Chatham Beautiful targets Garden City litter
Keep Chatham Beautiful’s Litter Patrol will sponsor its third neighborhood litter removal campaign on Jan. 18 in Garden City’s Silk Hope community.
Volunteers are encouraged to meet at 9 a.m. at the Silk Hope Baptist Church at 4929 Pineland Drive. They will be provided with gloves, bags, grabbers and safety vests, according to the nonprofit.
Following the event, litter bags will be weighed to determine the total amount that is being thrown out of vehicles or dropped on the ground by pedestrians.
To volunteer or get further information, contact Keep Chatham Beautiful at 912-790-1647 or slarnott@chathamcounty.org.
Road work to interrupt Ga. 204 traffic at King George Boulevard on Sunday
Traffic in both directions of Ga. 204 at King George Boulevard will be periodically interrupted from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Police will be stopping traffic at approximately 10-minute intervals so a new Georgia Power transmission line to be pulled across Ga. 204 and a temporary line removed, said Jill Nagel, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Motorists should expect delays in the area and are advised to use alternate routes if possible.
Compiled by Dash Coleman, Corey Dickstein and Marcus E. Howard