Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Couple found: Woman dead, man charged with murder

John Harol Whitfield (Credit: Hall County Sheriff’s Office)
John Harol Whitfield (Credit: Hall County Sheriff’s Office)
By Ellen Eldridge
Dec 4, 2016

A missing Hall County couple has been found, deputies said Sunday.

Wanda Kay McDougal, 41, was found dead alongside Highway 60, about a mile south of the Union County line in Lumpkin County, Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said in a news release.

John Harol Whitfield, 52, who had been reported missing Wednesday, was found Saturday.

Deputy Stephen Wilbanks said McDougal and Whitfield had been a couple at one time but he couldn’t be sure what their relationship status was at the time of her death.

Whitfield was charged with aggravated assault and murder in connection with McDougal’s death. He remains in the Lumpkin County jail.

The GBI is continuing the investigation.

About the Author

Ellen Eldridge
More Stories

Keep Reading

Sonny Bharadia, who spent more than two decades behind bars for a 2001 crime he did not commit, is suing the small town of Thunderbolt and the two law enforcement officers who handled his case. (Courtesy of Georgia Innocence Project)

Credit: Georgia Innocence Project

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

Although investigators had reason to believe Bharadia wasn’t involved in the crime, they pushed forward with a case against him anyway, the lawsuit says.

‘This should have never happened’: Georgia exoneree celebrates 1 year of freedom

Sonny Bharadia of Gwinnett County spent much of the last year exploring new cities, reconnecting with loved ones and enjoying things he feared he would never get to.

24m ago

Amber Alert issued after 2-month-old abducted in Clayton County, police say

Tariq Denzell Williams is accused of assaulting his son's mother and then leaving with the child in her car.

The Latest

Sonny Bharadia, who spent more than two decades behind bars for a 2001 crime he did not commit, is suing the small town of Thunderbolt and the two law enforcement officers who handled his case. (Courtesy of Georgia Innocence Project)

Credit: Georgia Innocence Project

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

‘This should have never happened’: Georgia exoneree celebrates 1 year of freedom

24m ago

Amber Alert issued after 2-month-old abducted in Clayton County, police say

Featured

Bubble test SAT ACT test sheet circles pencil bubbles college school standardized test

Georgia colleges consider controversial test as option to SAT

A contentious standardized college admissions test designed to usurp the SAT and ACT — and reshape the American education system — is gaining traction in conservative states.

Who will replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress?

Now that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced her plans to resign, attention turns to who might replace her in Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

GHSA sanctions Brunswick with postseason ban after fight with Gainesville

41 Brunswick players were suspended, and the school was fined $5,000.