Family frustrated over plea deals in Wayne County man’s 2022 death

WAYNE COUNTY Ga. (WTOC) - The family of a Wayne County man found dead in a ditch says they were shocked to learn that the men charged in connection with his death would be released — not in a courtroom, but while they were at work.

Frankie Farnum, a father of four, was found dead in Glynn County in December 2022. His family says they are frustrated with how prosecutors handled the case and the lack of communication from authorities.

Farnum’s sister, Amber Powell, said the toxicology report listed his cause of death as drug-related. However, she said her brother appeared severely beaten when the family went to identify his body.

Two men, Lee Edward Campbell and Johnathan Wimmenbauer, were charged in connection with Farnum’s death. Another man connected to the case later died from a drug overdose.

Last year, both Campbell and Wimmenbauer pleaded guilty to concealing the death of another. Wimmenbauer also pleaded guilty to additional charges, including abandonment of a dead body. Neither man was charged with murder, and both have been on probation since late last year.

Powell said the family was never notified about the plea deals by the District Attorney’s Office or the Glynn County Police Department. Instead, they learned about the agreements through an advocate who had been working on the case.

“That man made the advocate call my mom just to let her know what the outcome was. She’s at work, and that’s how she’s hearing about her son’s case — that they’re pretty much just letting these people off,” Powell said.

She said District Attorney Keith Higgins later apologized and offered counseling services to the family, but added that it was not enough.

“If that had been me in that position, I would have made sure I crossed all my T’s and dotted all my I’s,” Powell said.

Other family members including Mariah Dominey and Craig Breadon say that miss their brothers humor everyday.

The family hopes sharing their story will prevent other grieving families from facing the same frustrations.

“What if it was theirs? How would they feel? How would they want it handled? Would they have handled it the same way?” Powell said.

WTOC reached out to the District Attorney’s Office for comment. The office said the case remains an open investigation but did not address the family’s concerns about communication.