angie.thompson@gaflnews.com



TIFTON — A Tifton woman whose body was discovered by teenagers Monday was murdered. Law enforcement officials have not revealed the cause of the woman’s death.



Tift County Sheriff’s Department Chief Investigator Bobby Brannen said Tuesday results of an autopsy on the body of Frances Elizabeth Lunsford, 27, 506 E. 4th St., was completed Tuesday afternoon.

Lunsford’s body was sent to Atlanta’s crime lab for testing because the pathologist at the Moultrie Crime Lab was out of town.

Brannen said he collected evidence at the scene which led him to believe foul play contributed to Lunsford’s death, but he was not willing to release the cause of death now for fear of hampering the investigation.

Lunsford was identified by fingerprints taken at the scene before her body was removed.

Brannen said people have been calling since Lunsford’s identity was released early Tuesday.

“We have had some calls come in since her identity was made public. Folks want to help and we appreciate that,” Brannen said.

Lunsford’s identity was withheld until her next of kin was notified at 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Brannen said he and two other detectives in his office have been conducting interviews all day.

“It is a jigsaw puzzle and we are still trying to put the pieces together,” Brannen said.

Lunsford was last seen in Tifton on Saturday. Brannen said that “in light of what we have been told, I don’t know that the time of death would be that helpful at this time.”

Officials with the TCSD, the Tifton Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the District Attorney’s office were on hand at the crime scene Monday.

Brannen said it has been his practice since the 70s to call the GBI in to assist with investigations.

“I am not afraid to ask for help because sometimes there are more things going on than I have bodies (investigators) to assign to the cases,” Brannen said.

Three teenagers were taking a shortcut to a subdivision off Ferry Lake Road in east Tifton when they found Lunsford’s badly decomposed body in weeds on a vacant lot near two vacant mobile homes and a pond.

According to officials, Lunsford was fully clothed and no signs of trauma were visually identifiable.

Brannen said investigators will continue interviewing people who may have information leading to the arrest of Lunsford’s assailant. He encourages anyone who may have more information to call the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Tift County Sheriff’s Department at 388-6033 or the Sylvester’s GBI office at 777-2080.



To contact reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321, ext. 208.