Two bodies were found Monday in the search for missing couple Elrey "Bud" Runion, 69, and his wife, June, 66, reported county officials in Georgia.
According to local news station WMAZ, McRae resident Ronnie Adrian "Jay" Towns, 28, turned himself in to the Telfair County Sheriff's office on Monday morning.
The bodies, which have not yet been identified, were found shortly after near the couple's 2003 GMC Envoy — which had been abandoned in a lake.
"The bodies were not submerged in water. Only the automobile was in the water," Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson told reporters at a press conference Monday afternoon.
The Runions had been missing since Thursday, when they traveled from their home in Marietta to McRae to meet someone who responded to their Craigslist ad seeking a 1966 Ford Mustang convertible.
Towns became a suspect over the weekend after police discovered he owned the cellphone that last made contact with the couple on Thursday.
Steverson said that Towns turned himself in after warrants had been issued to his name for making false statements to investigators and for criminal attempt to commit theft by deception.
Steverson said Towns has not been charged with murder at this time, but police are "confident that Mr. Towns is involved."
Local McRae residents were shocked to hear the news that Towns was involved. Steverson said he came from a "good family" and had no criminal record.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.