SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirms their agents are conducting a death investigation of a local judge in Spalding County.
GBI officials confirm City of Griffin Municipal Court Judge William G. Johnston, 53, was found dead in his car by two emergency workers May 1, just one day after he was last seen alive.
According to a statement from the GBI, Johnston left his home off Morningside Drive in Griffin around 6:20 p.m. April 30, saying that he needed to meet a client in Lamar County.
The next morning, family members contacted the Police Department because they hadn't heard from him. The Griffin Police Department then began making calls to find him, and called for the GBI's help around 5 p.m. A short time later, the Police Department said they found Johnston's car near Jewel Drive and Pearl Circle with him inside.
Officials have not indicated how Johnston may have died.
The investigation is ongoing.
