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Murder victim’s father speaks publicly, hours after his daughter was found dead

Gary Bender says social media comments and speculation about his slain daughter have made an already terrible situation even worse.

LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. — “If you don't have anything positive to say, just shut up,” Gary Bender said. “We don't need any more of it.”

He was referencing the online chatter about his daughter, 21-year-old Hannah Bender, who was found dead on Wednesday after missing for more than a week.

“It's been a really hard time for my family,” Bender said. “The experience we've been having has been compounded and aggravated by the social media aspect of it. Everybody speculating and throwing facts out not knowing what they're talking about, it's made it extremely difficult for us. I want to ask everybody that if you really do care, if you know Carol, or if you know Hannah. or if you know anybody in my family, and you care about us, stop speculating and throwing that garbage out there online.”

Bender made these comments during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, shortly after Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard broke the news to the family.

Credit: Provided
Hannah Bender

“Since the 14th of September, we've been looking for Miss Hannah Bender,” Jarrad said. “We were hoping to find her alive, but in the early hours of this morning, she was found in Forsyth County. We feel that it is her, due to some of the markings on the body, some tattoos. It has not been 100% identified. That will be pending the autopsy results. The body has been transported to the crime lab by the coroner's office of Forsyth County. We are still processing the scene.”

The body was found in Forsyth County, but Jarrard says he believes the murder took place in Lumpkin County.

“I just know it was in a forested area that was a campsite,” he said.

Police are still searching for Austin Stryker in connection with the murder.

“If you see him, contact local authorities,” Jarrard said. “We consider him armed and dangerous. I feel anybody that takes the life of another would be dangerous. So use caution and contact authorities.”

Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office
Austin Todd Stryker

According to the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office, Stryker’s wife, Elizabeth Donaldson, was arrested Tuesday night in Dawson County and charged with tampering with evidence.

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