Partially burned body from Whitfield County identified

Whitfield County, Georgia (WDEF) — The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office has identified the body found at the Ellis Road on January 10th as Luis Antonio Lopez of Nashville.

He was 26 years old.

Sheriff Scott Chitwood says that the body had been placed on Ellis Road and had been partially burned less than 24 hours before it was found.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab confirmed the identity of the victim this week.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Lopez’s family had reported him missing in Tennessee shortly after the body was discovered.

The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office says investigators believe Lopez was murdered in Tennessee, and suspects drove his body to Whitfield County to dispose of it.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office are working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation along with other Tennessee officials as the investigation continues.