Bryan County couple found shot to death in home; Suspect dies by suicide following pursuit

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) [UPDATE MONDAY 2 p.m.] - The Bryan County Sheriff’s Office says a married couple were found dead inside their home Sunday evening after deputies tracked down a suspect connected to a stolen vehicle.

That suspect later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a pursuit.

According to investigators, the incident began around 4 p.m. Sunday, March 8th, in or around the Nevils, Georgia area.

Authorities say a man stopped to assist a motorist who had run out of gas near his home. That ‘stranded motorist’ turned out to be the suspect.

During the encounter, the man stepped out of his truck to retrieve a gas can from his residence. Investigators say the individual — now identified as Anthony Andrea Forney — climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck and sped away.

The truck’s owner contacted the Bulloch County 911 Center to report the crime. While on the phone with dispatchers, the owner was able to track the vehicle using a GPS tracking system.

At one point, the owner told dispatchers the vehicle was in the area of Sally Mae’s Restaurant on Highway 67 in Bulloch County. Bulloch County deputies and Georgia State Patrol units responded to the area, but when they arrived the suspect and the vehicle were no longer there.

While officers were in the area of Sally Mae’s, another GPS ping showed the vehicle traveling near Ash Branch Church Road. A few minutes later, the vehicle continued tracking in that same area, now within Bryan County.

Bulloch County deputies, Bryan County deputies and Georgia State Patrol troopers began responding toward the closest address associated with the GPS ping on Ash Branch Church Road.

As Bulloch County deputies and Georgia State Patrol units arrived in the area, they saw a Black male exiting a driveway in a gray Toyota Camry at a high rate of speed.

As the vehicle passed them, officers said they were able to identify the driver as the same individual involved in the stolen truck incident.

Bulloch County deputies and Georgia State Patrol units turned around and pursued the Camry while two additional Bulloch County units approached the residence the vehicle had just left.

During the pursuit, officers observed the Camry’s brake lights activate suddenly. The vehicle then swerved out of control, ran into a ditch, and overturned onto its top.

Officers exited their vehicles and discovered the offender had shot himself inside the vehicle prior to the crash.

Meanwhile, units at the residence began searching the property and located the pickup truck from the stolen vehicle incident in Bulloch County parked at the rear of the home.

Deputies then attempted to make contact with the homeowners. While looking through the windows, deputies observed two individuals lying on the floor inside the residence.

Deputies made entry into the home and discovered Kenneth C. “Craig” Lanier and Rhonda Lanier, both deceased from gunshot wounds.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Bryan County Sheriff Mark D. Crowe released a statement Monday saying the agency’s “hearts are very heavy today.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lanier family during this time of grief, when they need the support of this community more than ever,” Crowe said. “We also ask that this community keep the Lanier family in your prayers. In times like this, we are reminded that even in our most quiet, quaint, and peaceful communities, the worst of evil still exists.”

Crowe’s statement continued with a message of faith.

“The Bible says that the devil himself is the ‘god of this world who blinds the minds of unbelievers’ and that he roams the earth seeking to devour and destroy. However, he WILL NOT win. We know that our dear friends are nestled in the arms of our Savior today. Bryan County, Pembroke, and the Lanier family — God be with you.”

Pembroke Mayor Tiffany Zeigler asked residents to join her in prayer as a community while sharing the following statement from the First Baptist Church of Pembroke.

“As a result of the tragic news from yesterday afternoon I would like to encourage you to please spend time in prayer for the families involved with this difficult season. Please make sure to be supremely cautious in your words as well respect privacy during this season. The greatest thing we can do at this time is to pray over these families who are deeply loved and seek opportunities to serve like Jesus.”

[ORIGINAL STORY] WTOC crews on scene confirm a vehicle crashed into a ditch along a wooded stretch of Ash Branch Road.

Crews observed a wrecker removing the car from the ditch around 8:15 p.m.

The crash occurred at 2761 Ash Branch Road, a largely rural area with woods on one side of the road and a small number of homes nearby.

Bryan County Sheriff’s deputies on scene declined to confirm details about how the vehicle flipped.

Roads in the area remain closed as the investigation continues. No additional details have been released.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.