He was born on Christmas Day two years ago, and Cole Thomas Nation was already the center of his family. Adored by his mother, Cole lived just around the corner from his grandparents — his favorite people.
Late Sunday, a 32-year-old man strangled both Natalie Ann Nation and her son inside the Gwinnett County home where she rented a room, according to police. Both mother and son died from their injuries.
"This is just devastating," Donna Kurhanewicz, a longtime neighbor and family friend, said Tuesday. "There are so many lives that have been affected by this."
Brandon Williams, whose father owned the home where Natalie and Cole lived, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. He has a history of run-ins with police and earlier this month was in a mental hospital, records showed. He was being held without bond Wednesday at the Gwinnett jail.
Visitation for Natalie and Cole will be held Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lord & Stephens Funeral Home East in Athens. A service will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Welcome Avenue Congregational Holiness Church Cemetery in Crawford, according to an online obituary.
A GoFundMe page was created to assist the family with funeral costs.
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