Authorities with the GBI and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office have tentatively identified a body found in an abandoned well Saturday as that of Bonny Cooner of Canon.
Her boyfriend, Brent James Shubert, was arrested early Sunday without incident in Anderson, S.C.
Cooner, 33, was reported missing Jan. 28 by a family member, who said she left behind a son, her car and other personal belongings, police said.
Her disappearance sparked an outpouring of interest from hundreds of friends who knew her in Canon and Athens and in Madison and Elbert counties.
Following nearly two weeks of investigation, the GBI reported Friday that a break in the case was imminent. On Saturday, Franklin County Sheriff’s investigators and GBI agents drove to a secluded area in Franklin County where the well is located. An excavation of the well site continued Sunday at 1805 Casey Road in Canon.
Once recovered, the remains will be transferred to the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur where an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death and to confirm the identity of the remains.
GBI spokesman John Bankhead said results of the autopsy probably won’t be completed until Monday.
The warrants charge Shubert with malice murder, aggravated assault and concealing a death. Additional charges may also be brought at a later date, the GBI said.
Shubert was arrested at 2:30 Sunday morning after police found him sleeping in his van parked at a Red Lobster in Anderson.
He is currently in custody in South Carolina awaiting extradition to Georgia
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