On Valentine’s Day, a DeKalb County family’s security camera captured the moments a 28-year-old man left for a walk.
His mother, Angela Brown, said he had schizoaffective disorder and liked walking to deal with his feelings of anxiousness.
He didn’t come home from his walk.
Authorities discovered the body of BillyDee “Dirk” Williams along Lithonia Industrial Boulevard near Rock Chapel Road, but the driver who hit and killed him did not stay at the scene, Channel 2 Action News reported.
“It’s been tough for the entire family. This has been a major loss for us,” Brown told Channel 2. “Someone knows ... I’m sure someone knows something.”
He left the family’s house at 12:28 p.m., according to the video, and Brown began calling him once she noticed it was getting late and he had not returned.
“He didn’t answer,” she said. “His phone just kept going to voicemail.”
She said he enjoyed walking as a therapeutic method to calm himself down due to his disorder. Schizoaffective disorder is marked by schizophrenia symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions along with mood disorder symptoms such as depression or mania, according to the Mayo Clinic. Brown said her son's symptoms aligned closely with bipolar disorder.
She did eventually get a phone call, but it was not the one she wanted. It was from police after someone found him lying along the road.
“He didn’t deserve this,” Brown said, while failing to hold back tears. “If they know anything at all, please ... please just call. Because it could be your child.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact DeKalb police at 770-724-7850. Police are awaiting autopsy results to officially determine Williams’ cause of death.
The family also created a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral costs.
“BillyDee was a wonderful son, brother, nephew and friend who touched the lives of all those around him,” the page said. “Anyone who knew him could testify to what an amazing person he was. There are no words to describe the heartbreak and devastation of the loss of BillyDee ‘Dirk.’”
