Georgia murder suspect arrested after dayslong search; girl found safe
A murder suspect was taken into custody Wednesday, three days after being accused of shooting a man to death at a Butts County home, officials said.
The Butts County sheriff’s office arrested 20-year-old Cody Matthews about 2:30 p.m. in connection with the death of Ryan Ray.
Investigators had been searching for Matthews since Sunday, when he allegedly killed Ray at a home on Madison Avenue in the Jackson Glenn subdivision. Few details were released about the incident.
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Matthews was found hiding in a home in Williamson, sheriff's officials said in a Facebook post.
Autumn Keara Finlay, who was previously said to be traveling with Matthews, was also found safe.
Investigators originally believed Finlay, 21, was in “extreme danger” and was possibly being held against her will. However, the Butts sheriff said Tuesday that Finlay was thought to be helping Matthews avoid arrest and announced she was wanted on charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive.
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At this time, Finlay’s involvement in the case is not clear. The sheriff’s office has not said if it intends to arrest or charge her.
Matthews was taken to the Butts County jail, where he is charged with murder and aggravated assault.
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About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
