Missing woman found dead in nephew's car, police say

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A Florida man is accused of killing his aunt and driving her body to metro Atlanta.

Phillip Smith, 37, was the last person seen with his aunt, Janice Fulton, 75, before she disappeared from her Jacksonville home.

Locust Grove police told Channel 2's Richard Elliot that they got a call Thursday night that officers in Florida tracked Smith’s cell phone to their city.

“They pinged a cell phone that was in the vehicle. When they got the location, they called us and said, ‘Hey, this vehicle is in your area, could you help us locate it?’” Detective Darryl Shoemaker said.

Officers quickly spotted the car and Smith getting gas at a gas station off I-75.

After Smith left the gas station, police made a traffic stop. They say they found marijuana inside his car, so they placed him under arrest. When they looked inside the car, they say they found Fulton’s body concealed.

“It wasn't searched, but they could see there was a body in the vehicle, at which time detectives were notified and we obtained a search warrant for the vehicle,” Shoemaker said.

Police now believe Smith killed his aunt in Jacksonville then drove her north. They don't know why or where he was going, only that he probably stopped in Locust Grove just to get gas and had no idea he was being tracked.

Jacksonville deputies drove up to Henry County and took over what is now a murder investigation. Smith is in the Henry County Jail awaiting extradition back to Jacksonville.

“It's just hard to figure out what goes through someone's mind to commit or be a part of what went on last night through two states,” Shoemaker said.

Neighbors say Fulton was a pillar of their community.

“Never a peep out of her. She had garage sales, that sort of thing. She brought cookies. Very neighborly,” one neighbor said.

Elliot found that Smith’s criminal history dates back 16 years, including charges of drug possession, burglary and time spent in prison for exploitation of the elderly.

Fulton’s neighbors say they are horrified by what happened.

“I’m very shocked. She was a quiet person so I never expect to hear any kind of news or anything like that from her,” a neighbor said.

Cox Media Group