Investigators have confirmed that a body found inside a well in Franklin County is 33-year-old Bonny Cooner, who disappeared late last month. Authorities said that she had been strangled.
The woman's fiancé, Brent Shubert, was arrested in South Carolina and is now back in Georgia charged with murder.
The sheriff said that Shubert is not being cooperative.
The body was found in a well, on a remote piece of land in Franklin County on Sunday.
Investigators now publicly say that Shubert was a suspect from the very beginning of their case. They say he was the last person to see Bonny, here at the canon home they shared with her 12-year-old son.
When Bonny vanished on Jan. 28, investigators said that Shubert's story kept changing and they didn't buy his explanation that she went off by herself.
"First of all, she didn't notify her child, didn't notify her family that she was gone somewhere else. And I think that was one of the things that set in our minds too," said Franklin County Sheriff Stevie D. Thomas.
While investigators do not have a motive for why they think Shubert killed his fiancé, they do accuse of him of having a history of abuse and intimidation. They point to a police report from last October when Shubert was arrested for allegedly attacking Cooner in their home. That case is still pending, but Cooner allowed a restraining order against Shubert to expire.
"A lot of times in your domestic violence stuff, of course, the victim gets talked to by the accused and they kind of make up and say this won't happen no more and a lot of times, unfortunately, they believe it," Cooner said.
Friends said that Cooner thought the couple could work it out. They say she was a wonderful mother and would never have put her son in a situation where she feared for their safety.
Shubert is expected to have his first court appearance on Tuesday.
MURDERS RATTLE COUNTY
This murder was the third in only 25 days in Franklin County.
The county usually averages one murder every year and a half.
On Jan. 3, business owner and YouTube star Keith Ratliff was shot and killed. Ratliff was known for his videos promoting Americans' right to own guns. His murder has not been solved.
A few days later, at home in Lavonia, 21-year-old Cheyenne Burch was arrested and charged for murdering her 12-week-old son.
None of the crimes are related, but they are taking a toll on this small community.
The Franklin County Sheriff says the crimes have been stressful for his department.
"The community as a whole is a very strong, supporting group. They support me hard. I've been doing this for 33 years and they've always been there," Thomas said.
Investigators say it's possible there will be more arrests in the Bonny Cooner murder.
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AP photo
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Brent Shubert
Bonny Cooner
