ATLANTA, Ga. — It has been two weeks since a fisherman near Lumber City, Ga. pulled the body of Devin Jeter from a river. The sailor who was stationed at NAS Jax had been missing for about three days.
“They haven’t told us much about anything. We don’t know when he died or how he died,” Melanie Jeter, Devin’s sister told Action News Jax’s Atlanta station WSB-TV.
“I’m still crying because I won’t see that smile again. He just lit up a room. He was just such a nice, young man who loved what he did,” Perry Delaney Jeter, Devin’s grandmother, said.
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The Jeter family expressed frustration Monday that they have not gotten closure to their loved one’s death, and felt their initial pleas for help were ignored.
Devin Jeter was last seen alive on Nov. 7.
The 25-year-old was in Atlanta looking for a car and visiting family.
When his car search was unsuccessful, he told his family he would be back next weekend and rented a car with the plans of driving overnight to make it to his Jacksonville base by morning.
“That was the whole purpose of his leaving that night because he wanted to go to work the next day,” Melanie said.
However, Devin never arrived, and his family said he did not respond to phone calls or text messages.
“When he didn’t show up, we knew something had happened,” Perry Delaney Jeter said.
The family went to the police and Enterprise, asking for him to be reported missing on Friday, Nov. 8. However, they say no report was filed.
“They kept telling us, oh he will come back, he probably just went off alone, wanted to be left alone, he didn’t want to be bothered,” Melanie said.
“Everybody kept trying to pass the buck, like, oh he just went off somewhere, no he didn’t go off somewhere. He was too responsible. He had a duty to perform when he got back,” Perry Delaney Jeter said.
According to an incident report provided by the family, the incident report for a missing person was filed on Nov. 10, more than 48 hours after he disappeared.
It is unclear if the police contacted Enterprise or started searching before Nov. 10.
Atlanta Police did not answer clarifying questions that WSB-TV sent via email.
On Nov. 11, Devin’s body was pulled from a river near Lumber City.
A week later, the Jeep he rented was pulled out with no discernable damage.
“If they had gotten on it, we think it would have made a big difference,” Perry Delaney Jeter said.
Despite locating the body and the Jeep, the family said they have not been given a clear picture of what happened to him.
In an email sent to WSB-TV, the GBI said their investigation at this point does not indicate foul play, however anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI regional investigative office in Eastman at 478-374-6988, or share tips anonymously via the GBI’s tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at GBI’s tip submission page, or through the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.
The family believes if the word got out earlier, Devin may have been located faster, potentially finding him alive or in a condition where his body could have helped provide more answers and closure.
WSB-TV, Atlanta contributed to this report.
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