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.