Body recovered from Milton pond believed to be Lil Jon’s son, police say

Atlanta rapper and producer Lil Jon described his son as the “kindest human,” moments after learning efforts to locate him had come to a bitter end.

His son, Nathan Smith, had last been seen Tuesday morning.

Shortly before noon Friday, Milton police said divers recovered a body from a pond in Mayfield Park. It’s an area officers have been combing since Smith was first reported missing.

Lil Jon, whose real name is Jonathan Smith, said he and his estranged wife, Nicole Smith, are “extremely heartbroken” over the loss of their son, according to a statement provided by the rapper’s representative, Tamar Juda, to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted — he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest," the statement said.

Smith, 27, who goes by the stage name Slade, was last seen around 6 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Baldwin Drive and Mayfield Road near the park, according to a missing person announcement.

Police said Smith went missing after he ran out of his house.

“Subject left on foot and does not possess a phone,” officials said. “He may be disoriented and in need of assistance.”

Officials had been searching Mayfield Park since Tuesday. (Channel 2 Action News)

Milton police Lt. Andrew Noblett has said no foul play is suspected, but officials will continue to treat the incident as an active investigation.

Authorities have not said what may have led Smith to leave his home or how he found his way to the park’s pond.

“No further details will be released until the official cause and manner of death are determined by the Fulton County Medical Examiner and all investigative leads have been thoroughly examined,” police said.

The identity of the body recovered Friday is pending confirmation by the medical examiner’s office, but officials said they believe it is Smith.

Last year, Smith, a producer and engineer, appeared on “Family Legacy,” a Paramount+ docuseries following the children of famous musicians. Smith frequently produced songs with his dad, including the crunk legend’s guided meditation album from 2024.

Lil Jon, an Atlanta native, began his career in the 1990s and is well known for his 2013 anthem “Turn Down for What” and hit song “Get Low.”

After graduating from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts' Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in 2020, the younger Smith began regularly coproducing songs, like Saweetie’s bass-heavy “Get it Girl,” with Lil Jon. The song, released in 2021, was featured in an episode of Issa Rae’s HBO comedy series “Insecure” and a Beats headphones commercial.

“We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him,” Lil Jon said in Friday’s statement. “He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together we’re comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him.”