The body of a 17-year-old was found on a Cobb County residential playground Monday, police said.

Naseer Benefield had been stabbed multiple times when police arrived to the 6600 block of Mableton Parkway, Channel 2 Action News reported.

The teen’s grandfather, Kalem Hasan, told Channel 2 he feared the worst when Benefield didn’t answer his phone.

Hasan last saw his grandson Sunday night, just before he left to get their dinner.

“In fact, the dinner is still up on the stove waiting for him,” Hasan told the news station.

A security guard later showed Hasan a photo of a teenager lying face down. The photo didn’t show the teen above the waist, but the shoes looked familiar, Hasan said.

Hours later, police confirmed the body belonged to Benefield.

The teen had just moved in with his grandfather last week in an attempt to get his life back on track, Channel 2 reported.

“He had a handful of money, and blood on it,” Hasan said.

No information about a possible motive or suspect(s) has been released by Cobb police.

In other news:

‘We’ve Forgotten How to Love One Another,’ Walmart Cashier Says After Helping Struggling Man

About the Author

Keep Reading

A man rides a bicycle in the rain along 10th Street in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)