How Georgia investigators cracked a 34-year-old cold case

Timothy Coggins, 23, was found dead in Sunny Side, Ga in Spalding County on Oct. 9, 1983.  (Spalding County Sheriff’s Office)

Timothy Coggins, 23, was found dead in Sunny Side, Ga in Spalding County on Oct. 9, 1983. (Spalding County Sheriff’s Office)

Timothy Coggins, 23, was found dead next to high tension power lines off Highway 19 in Spalding County. That was Oct. 9, 1983. Now, 34 years later, investigators have arrested five people in connection with the killing.

The two murder suspects have criminal records. Two others were local law enforcement officers charged with obstruction of justice for actions after the case was reopened in the spring.

The investigation unearthed secrets some in this suburban community southeast of Atlanta had been harboring for decades, police said.

Read more at myAJC.com to learn how Coggins was killed, what public records show about the five people arrested and why officials have been so tight-lipped about the investigation.

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY: Want more stories like this one? Go to www.myajc.com/crime/