The mother of a person of interest in the disappearance of a west Georgia woman has been charged with obstructing officers, an investigator said.

Deanna Ann Smith, 56, of Heflin, Ala., was arrested in connection with the Jessica Earl case, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Haralson County Sheriff’s Office investigator Heather Mecillas said Smith led them on a “goose chase,” Channel 2 reported.

MORE: Investigator: 'I don't feel good about (missing Georgia woman's) chances'

Smith’s son, Jeffery Seth Odom, 36, surrendered last week after an anonymous caller told authorities that he wanted to turn himself in. He faces charges that are not related to the case.

Investigators said they tried to interview Odom after he surrendered, but he asked for a lawyer, Sheriff Eddie Mixon confimed.

Earl, 31, was last seen June 8 leaving a home near Tallapoosa after a dispute with Odom, officials said.

Sheriff’s officials have offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to Earl’s whereabouts.

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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)

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