Unidentified male found dead on road in Bartow County

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The Bartow County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's help in solving a murder mystery.

Sunday, a young male between the ages of 16 and 21 was found dead on the side of Bells Ferry Road.

"He died from multiple gunshot wounds," said Sergeant Jonathan Rogers, Bartow County Sheriff's Office.

The victim is described as a black male, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, and weighing about 162 pounds.

"He had no identification on him whatsoever," Rogers said.

Authorities said the rural area is making the case challenging to solve.

"There is no surveillance video and no witnesses," Rogers said.

At the crime scene, detectives said they found a red backpack believed to have belonged to the victim.

"It's a red Everest backpack with the name "Cierra" written on the back of it," Rogers said. "We hope someone will be able to identify the backpack."

Rogers said the victim had a distinct tattoo on his arm.

"It is four dots in the shape of a diamond, maybe a relative will be able to identify the tattoo," Rogers said.

Police said the victim was found wearing a white t-shirt, black and red jeans, a red belt, black and gold shoes and a red bandana in his back pocket.

"Due to what he was wearing and the heavy red presence there is a possibility there is a gang connection, but we don't know for certain yet," Rogers said. "We believe the victim is not from this area, but is likely from the Metro Atlanta area."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Bartow County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division at 770-382-5050.

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