'I knew it was something serious': Man explains how he knew his friend's disappearance was cause for concern
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The close friend of an Atlanta man who was found dead in a Cobb County dumpster said he immediately knew something was wrong when he couldn't get a hold of his friend.
According to Sam Haskell, James Creighton didn't show up for work on September 20.
"I knew it was something serious. I didn't know it would be this tragic but I knew it would be serious," Haskell said.
He knew it was serious because Creighton never missed a day of work, and because his phone showed him miles away in Cobb County.
"I found it odd that an hour before he was supposed to work, he was in Kennesaw at a gas station," Haskell said.
He and Creighton shared locations on an app called Citizen.
He said Creighton's phone didn't ping again after that day.
Haskell reported him missing on September 20 to Atlanta police.
James Creighton's body was found inside of a dumpster in Cobb County.
Almost a month later, Haskell said he heard the news of a body found in a dumpster behind businesses in Kennesaw.
Haskell said he called Cobb County Police.
"[The detective] asked two questions. Was James going to sell his BMW? I said ‘no. Absolutely not.’ The second one was an odor from the BMW. He said tell me about this odor," Haskell said.
Cobb County Police arrested Garfield Norris shortly after.
According to a criminal warrant, Norris allegedly killed Creighton and then wrapped him in plastic, tarp, and other things, and put his body in the dumpster.
His body was found on October 9 by a business owner on 195 Chastain Meadows Court.
The warrant also states Norris is also accused of stealing Creighton's BMW, putting a fake license plate on it, and making a fake bill of sale.
Haskell said Norris and Creighton knew one another.
He said Norris was one of the many people Creighton was helping out.
Haskell said his friend was no stranger to lending a hand to those in need..
"James had no enemies. He treated everyone with respect. He wasn't judgmental," Haskell said. "He really liked everyone, even those who may not have been kind to him. It's quite sad to see something like this happen, especially in the hands of someone who he was helping."
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