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 her inside the home they shared with his corpse, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Jay Baker said.

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