SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs officials have confirmed police are investigating a homicide following an incident Jan. 29.
Appen Media first learned a homicide occurred in Sandy Springs through information gathered at a meeting of city officials Jan. 30. The information was later confirmed in reports obtained through open records requests.
Reports said a Sandy Springs police officer discovered a deceased person while conducting a welfare check at an address on Peachtree Dunwoody Road and Registry Lane Jan. 29. The person was found dead at 4499 Peachtree Dunwoody Road at about 6 p.m. but Sandy Springs police reports do not give any details about the victim, how the body was located, or any other narrative information.
The report lists three other individuals associated with the case but does not explain how they are connected. An unspecified type of firearm is also listed as being involved.
A Sandy Springs Police Computer Aided Dispatch report for the incident, also obtained by Appen Media, said a caller called 911 after finding, “an abandoned car at the bottom of the driveway” of an address on Peachtree Dunwoody Road, just south of Registry Lane.
The report said the caller didn’t “want to approach” the vehicle and was “advised” not to open the car door. However, large portions of the report were redacted and provided no further information on the death.
Sgt. Matthew McGinnis, public information officer for the Sandy Springs Police Department, said Feb. 3 the case is being investigated as a homicide and they expect to release a statement with more information soon.
McGinnis declined to comment further on the case.
“In the interest of the integrity of the investigation, we will make a statement/media release next week,” McGinnis said. “We do not want to compromise our investigative efforts at this time.”
Evidence that a homicide occurred in Sandy Springs was scrubbed from the city’s public police dashboard following Appen Media inquiries, leaving residents no way of knowing a possible murder had taken place in their city.
McGinnis said the entry was likely removed because the case is an active investigation with sensitive information, which is the department’s policy.
