13wmaz is tracking an ongoing Georgia Bureau of Investigation case after two Eastman men were found dead following an apparent homicide-suicide at a home in Dodge County, with authorities confirming only limited preliminary details so far.
What has the GBI confirmed about the Eastman Dublin Highway deaths?
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) says two people died after an apparent homicide-suicide in Eastman on Tuesday. Dodge County deputies responded to a home in the 3400 block of Eastman Dublin Highway, where they found 48-year-old Johnathan Lee Groves inside with a gunshot wound. Groves was pronounced dead at the scene.
The GBI’s preliminary investigation indicates 60-year-old Rex Willis Giddens of Eastman shot Groves. Law enforcement later found Giddens in the woods near the home suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The bodies of both men are to be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies. The GBI has stated the investigation remains ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be given to the Oconee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
13wmaz focus: What key facts have not been released publicly?
While the GBI has outlined the basic sequence—deputies responding to a home, the discovery of Groves deceased from a gunshot wound, and the later discovery of Giddens deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound—several central details have not been provided in the information released so far.
Authorities have not publicly identified a motive, any events that led up to the shooting, or what relationship, if any, existed between Groves and Giddens. The GBI also has not released information about the type of firearm involved, the timing between the initial response to the home and the later discovery in the woods, or whether any other individuals were present at or near the home when deputies arrived.
The location details are limited to the 3400 block of Eastman Dublin Highway and the statement that Giddens was found in the woods near the home. The GBI has not provided further description of the immediate scene, the investigative steps taken at the residence, or what evidence led investigators to their preliminary determination.
What happens next in the investigation, and how the public can help
The GBI says the case remains under investigation and will move to prosecutorial review after the investigative work is completed, with the file going to the Oconee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
The agency has also asked anyone with information to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Eastman at 478-374-6988. The GBI tip line also accepts anonymous information at 1-800-597-TIPS.
As 13wmaz continues to monitor the case, the most consequential next public milestones appear to be the results of the autopsies by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office and any additional findings the GBI chooses to release as the investigation progresses.
