Fannin County Coroner Becky Callihan said Friday the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has confirmed her initial identification of a body found near Noontootla Creek earlier this summer.
Melvin Cooksey, 58, of Covington, Georgia, was reported missing February 23, 2023. A GBI alert said Cooksey’s residence had been set on fire and he was not found inside. Cooksey was described as partially disabled, requiring specific medical equipment and services that were located in the house.
Witness had reported seeing a 2006 ZX3 Ford Focus Hatchback with a Kansas license plate leaving the residence about 30 minutes before the fire started.
“Mr. Cooksey is believed to be in danger,” the GBI alert said.
A citizen reported what she believed to be a human skull to the Fannin County 911 Center late Sunday evening, May 21.
Authorities from the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, GBI and Georgia Department of Natural Resources traveled to a location about two miles inside the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area on Noontootla Creek early the next morning. Remains were discovered about 30 yards off Forest Road 58, Sheriff Dane Kirby said.
Callihan said a pacemaker was discovered among the remains. Her office used a subpoena to check the numbers on the pacemaker and determined it belonged to Cooksey. This provided the initial identification.
Since Cooksey’s disappearance was being investigated by the GBI, the body was sent to the state crime lab for positive identification, which has now been confirmed.
Danetta Knoblauch, 35, of Wichita, Kansas, was arrested July 4 and charged with murder, aggravated assault and arson in conjunction with Cooksey’s death, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.