Cherokee woman charged in father’s death

A Ball Ground woman has been accused of killing her elderly father, then staying in the house for a week as the body decayed, according to police.

Andrea Blanton, 45, was arrested Tuesday and initially charged with concealing the death of 77-year-old James Reece after a welfare check led police to discover the corpse inside the home they shared, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jay Baker said.

Blanton was released Tuesday evening on $11,200 bond, but was arrested again Wednesday after a GBI autopsy revealed that Reese had been strangled to death, Baker said.

Blanton is being held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center on charges of murder and concealing a death.

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