Mystery surrounding Oconee County teen's murder

OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Oconee County Sheriff’s Investigators are trying to solve what they are calling a murder mystery.

Joseph Jackson, 19, died at the hospital after his grandparents found him severely injured outside the home he shares with them. They’re trying to find out who severely injured the young man on a rural road and how.

“I believe it is a murder mystery, we don’t know who did it.” said Captain James Hale, with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.

Capt. Hale said the mysterious incident involving Joseph Jackson occurred on this stretch of Whippoorwill Road sometime Tuesday afternoon or night.

Captain Hale told FOX 5 News the severely injured 19-year-old stumbled back to the home he shares with his grandparents a little before midnight. That’s about 50 yards from the spot where he was hurt.

“He did walk himself back to the house, as far as he did. He wasn’t about to tell us how he got back there but his grandparents did find him outside the house and brought him into the house,” said Captain Hale.

Hale said Jackson was so badly injured he could not provide any details to authorities before he died at the hospital. Investigators gathered the evidence from the spot on the road where Joseph Jackson was severely injured, including lots of shattered glass fragments, apparently pointing to a vehicle.

“Any vehicle that shows up to a vehicle repair shop or has a side window busted out of it, we’re definitely interested and want to talk to talk to someone that might be in that area,” said Captain Hale.

Investigators are also trying to determine if Jackson was in some kind of an altercation, adding robbery is not a motive.

Nearby residents are also looking for answers.

“It is horrible that this has happened in this little small community we never have anything like this in this community,” said Travis Edwards who lives nearby.

The sheriff’s office is searching for anyone who may helpful surveillance video to help bring to justice whoever took the life of Joseph Jackson.

“You know these poor grandparents, I mean they need closure, they need closure and they need justice,” said Edwards.

Oconee County investigators are waiting on autopsy results from the GBI crime lab which they hope will determine the cause of death. In the meantime, they ask anyone with any knowledge of the murder mystery of Joseph Jackson to give them a call.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Investigator Justin Cash at 706-769-3945 24-hours a day.  His email is jcash@oconeesheriff.org.