A body discovered Monday floating face down in a Newnan creek has been identified as a 17-year-old missing since October.

Investigators are treating Blake Tyler Chappell's death as a homicide, Newnan Police Deputy Chief Rodney Riggs told the AJC.

An autopsy revealed Chappell died from a gunshot wound, according to the chief. He was found wearing only his underwear and was identified through a tattoo and a piece of jewelry found on his body. It's unclear how long his body had been in the creek.

Chappell, of Senoia, was last seen leaving a friend's house in the Olmstead subdivision sometime around 4 a.m. on Oct. 16, Riggs said. The East Coweta High School student had attended a homecoming dance the night before, police say, though the dress pants, tie and jacket he wore were nowhere to be found.

Chappell was heading to another friend's house on Highwoods Parkway when he disappeared.

"We do not have a suspect," said Riggs, adding police do not believe drugs or gang activity were factors in the fatal shooting.

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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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