ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A Rockdale County investigator who suddenly found himself unable to breathe due to an illness in December has died, authorities with the sheriff's office confirmed on Saturday.
In the last weeks of 2019, John Cole Haynie - known as Cole as friends, family, and coworkers - went to the doctor for what he thought was the flu. The test for flu and strep came back negative and Haynie was sent home with antibiotics according to his wife, Lynn.
Days later, Lyn said her husband woke up pale and unable to breathe. Eventually, Cole was transferred to Emory Hospital in critical conditions with problems in his kidneys, lungs and heart.
A family member later spoke with 11Alive and said followup tests did show he had influenza B. That family member urged the public to get the flu vaccine.
Having survived cancer as a teenager, family and friends said he was a fighter who had a strong chance of surviving despite a 40 to 50 percent chance.
Sadly, Haynie died on Saturday evening after battling the condition for more than a month.
"We have lost a brother, a friend, a husband, and a servant of our community," Sheriff Eric J. Levett said. "And with that, we mourn... the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office sends our deepest thoughts and prayers."
Investigator Haynie had been with the sheriff's office for 8 years having joined the sheriff's office in 2012 as a deputy with the jail. He was promoted to certified sheriff's deputy in 2014 after becoming Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified.
He served with the patrol division for five years, beginning as a patrol deputy and later becoming a gang investigator with the Special Investigations Unit.
The sheriff's office, in a statement, asked the community to keep Haynie's family in their prayers and said that details on funeral services are not yet available.
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