Fairburn police have made an arrest in the slaying of a man whose body was discovered Sunday along a woodline behind a motel.

The body was found around 11:30 a.m. Sunday behind the Efficiency Lodge, an extended-stay motel on Senoia Road in Fairburn.

Anthony M. Bethea Jr. was arrested Sunday night and booked into the Fulton County Jail, charged with murder, according to Fairburn police Sgt. Anthony Bazydlo.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office has tentatively identified the victim, but is awaiting verification from next-of-kin before releasing the victim’s name.

Check back for updates.

About the Author

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT