Gone but not forgotten

Randall David (Boone) Smith, who has close family ties in Polk County and the Esom Hill area was 52-years-old when he was murdered in Cleburne County, Alabama.On January 16, 1996, Smith's body was discovered by his daughter at 1125 County Road 93 in Cleburne County, Alabama. No arrest has been made in his murder and his family seeks closure to this painful ordeal.Just today, I spoke with Cleburne County Detective Green in regards to the case. Green, who keeps Boone’s case file in is desk is unable to reveal the details of the murder for fear of jeopardizing the case.Green did confirm that there have been a few leads but none that panned out to make an arrest.  Many friends, family and acquaintances have been interviewed.The investigation is still ongoing and anyone with information should contact Detective Dennis Green at 256-463-2277 or 256-463-7336.James Yarbrough was 77-years-old when his body was discovered lying in the floor of his Morgan Valley home covered in blood on July 21, 2010. Yarbrough’s killer has never been brought to justice.Polk County police responded to the residence after Polk County 911 received a call from a female who stated that she was outside the residence looking in through a window and could see the homeowner lying in the floor covered in blood.An autopsy confirmed foul play and determined the manner of death to be homicide according to GBI spokesperson, John Bankhead.A Reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in this investigation.Any and all information should be sent to the Polk County Police Department Criminal Investigations Division @ 770-748-7331.Rita Ann Merritt, a beautiful woman and loving mother to three children was only 27-years-old- when she was fatally shot and killed on Saturday Sept. 16, 2011 as her children slept.Rita’s husband, Shay Merritt, a former soldier who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan supposedly confessed to the GBI that he pulled the trigger. That confession coming first calling 911 and stating that his wife had committed suicide.Shay Merritt is charged with felony murder and remains free on bond at the time of this publication.View the list »
Kailee Marie Parker of Silver Creek was just two years old when her life was cut short.On June 5, 2012, little Kailee was in a residence at the intersection of Booze Mountain Road and Reeceburg Road when, according to a family member, the child started experiencing seizure type activity.Floyd County 911 received a call that afternoon after a passerby noticed the stepfather carrying the little girl and stopped to assist. The passerby performed CPR on the child but it was too late. The stepfather stated that he thought the child was having a seizure and he was carrying her to a neighbor's house to get help.Officials with the GBI crime lab determined that the little Kailee’s death was a homicide due to evidence that the child was assaulted and died of multiple blows to the head.Kailee’s mother, Heather Brittany McKinney Parker, and her step-father, Eric Castro were arrested and charged with felony aggravated murder, felony murder, felony battery and felony cruelty to children.

Crime & Courts newsletter

Listed below are ten stories of the murdered, the missing and the fateful tragedy’s that have left their mark on the community.

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Each story tugs on the heartstrings of every one of us in some deep profound way. The events have all brought the community closer in some way.

Within each story, there is a message of hope and overcoming adversity, hardship and suffering.

Some of the stories are still ongoing and in need of closure so that the families can find peace and comfort.

As we take a look back at some of the events that have forever changed the lives of many of our friends, family and neighbors, it is my hope that our community has become stronger and more compassionate toward one another.

This article is dedicated to Kailee Marie Parker, Rita Ann Merritt, James Yarbrough, Randall David (Boone) Smith, Jozzell Payne, Elizabeth Rae Hutcheson, Former Polk County Sheriff Frank (Red) Lott, Emily Christine Clackum, Frank Albert Pitman, James "Tommy" Thomas Sharp and Charles Franklin “C.J.” Wells Jr.

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  • Kailee Marie Parker of Silver Creek was just two years old when her life was cut short.On June 5, 2012, little Kailee was in a residence at the intersection of Booze Mountain Road and Reeceburg Road when, according to a family member, the child started experiencing seizure type activity.Floyd County 911 received a call that afternoon after a passerby noticed the stepfather carrying the little girl and stopped to assist. The passerby performed CPR on the child but it was too late. The stepfather stated that he thought the child was having a seizure and he was carrying her to a neighbor's house to get help.Officials with the GBI crime lab determined that the little Kailee’s death was a homicide due to evidence that the child was assaulted and died of multiple blows to the head.Kailee’s mother, Heather Brittany McKinney Parker, and her step-father, Eric Castro were arrested and charged with felony aggravated murder, felony murder, felony battery and felony cruelty to children.
  • Rita Ann Merritt, a beautiful woman and loving mother to three children was only 27-years-old- when she was fatally shot and killed on Saturday Sept. 16, 2011 as her children slept.Rita’s husband, Shay Merritt, a former soldier who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan supposedly confessed to the GBI that he pulled the trigger. That confession coming first calling 911 and stating that his wife had committed suicide.Shay Merritt is charged with felony murder and remains free on bond at the time of this publication.
  • James Yarbrough was 77-years-old when his body was discovered lying in the floor of his Morgan Valley home covered in blood on July 21, 2010. Yarbrough’s killer has never been brought to justice.Polk County police responded to the residence after Polk County 911 received a call from a female who stated that she was outside the residence looking in through a window and could see the homeowner lying in the floor covered in blood.An autopsy confirmed foul play and determined the manner of death to be homicide according to GBI spokesperson, John Bankhead.A Reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in this investigation.Any and all information should be sent to the Polk County Police Department Criminal Investigations Division @ 770-748-7331.
  • Randall David (Boone) Smith, who has close family ties in Polk County and the Esom Hill area was 52-years-old when he was murdered in Cleburne County, Alabama.On January 16, 1996, Smith's body was discovered by his daughter at 1125 County Road 93 in Cleburne County, Alabama. No arrest has been made in his murder and his family seeks closure to this painful ordeal.Just today, I spoke with Cleburne County Detective Green in regards to the case. Green, who keeps Boone’s case file in is desk is unable to reveal the details of the murder for fear of jeopardizing the case.Green did confirm that there have been a few leads but none that panned out to make an arrest.  Many friends, family and acquaintances have been interviewed.The investigation is still ongoing and anyone with information should contact Detective Dennis Green at 256-463-2277 or 256-463-7336.
  • Jozzell Payne was 76-years-old when his body was discovered at his home on Callier Spring Road in Rome after police were sent to the home for a welfare check.When no one answered the door, police gained entry and discovered Payne's lifeless body, his hands bound and a gasoline soaked rag stuffed into his mouth.Investigators immediately deemed the death suspicious and Payne's body was sent to the state crime lab in Atlanta for an autopsy.Payne's daughter, Laura Ann Payne, 33, and her boyfriend Edward Eugene Gaines, 36, were initially arrested in Wayne County, Michigan on fugitive from justice warrants and were extradited back to Floyd County where they were formally charged in connection with the murder.The two were indicted by a Floyd County grand jury on charges of murder, aggravated assault, robbery, false imprisonment, three counts of theft by taking, identity fraud and financial transaction card fraud.
  • Elizabeth Rae Hutcheson, a 27-year-old Cedartown woman was brutally murdered while making a pizza delivery to 229 Thompson Street in Cedartown on June 7, 2012.Cedartown police were in the area working a traffic stop near Thompson and Main when the officer's heard piercing screams in the area. The officers immediately ended the traffic stop and proceeded to search for the origin of the chilling screams.Within minutes the officers located the bloody body of Elizabeth Rae Hutcheson lying in the doorway of 299 Thompson Street. Hutcheson was bludgeoned and stabbed approximately fifty times.The suspects fled the scene and the entire town remained in fear while the manhunt continued.Two Cedartown teens, fifteen year old Eddie Lee Clark and eighteen-year-old Cadedra Lynn Cook were arrested the following day and have since been formally charged by a Polk County Grand Jury to stand trial on charges of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and obstruction.A Trust Fund has been established to support Elizabeth’s 4-year-old daughter.  To donate to this fund, cash contributions or checks made payable to The Frances Edgeworth Trust Fund can be made at the Regions Bank located at 120 North Main Street in Cedartown or any Regions Bank branch location.
  • Former Polk County Sheriff Frank (Red) Lott was killed in the line of duty on June 23, 1974. His killer has never been brought to justice. This year will mark the 39th anniversary of his death.Shortly after midnight on Sunday, June 23, 1974, an early morning burglar alarm sounded at the newly built Cedartown High School. Sheriff Frank "Red" Lott and a trustee named Benjamin Franklin Clark (Benny) of Rockmart responded to the alarm. Clark was described as a "runaround" and was working off a number of DUI offenses by doing weekend errands at the jail.Lott drove around to the back of the school and noticed a man sitting inside a vehicle, the headlights were on and the motor was running. The sheriff stepped out of his patrol car and as he approached the vehicle, he asked, "What are you doing?"  The man then stepped out of the car and fired a total of six shots.Sheriff Lott was shot three times in the chest, abdomen and leg. He was killed by the gunshot wound to the chest. Clark managed to take Lott's gun and fire at the suspect as he drove away. The fleeing suspect returned fire and Clark was wounded twice in the leg and groin area.In spite of his injuries, Clark dragged Sheriff Lott back into the patrol vehicle and drove him to Polk County General Hospital. The sheriff died 45 minutes later.Sheriff Lott was a well-liked and well respected man and his memory lives on within this community which he served so well.
  • Emily Christine Clackum was just 13-years-old on Sept. 5, 2010 when her life was cut short due to a tragic accident while riding as a passenger on a four wheeler on Garmon Road in Esom Hill.Emily was ejected after the driver; 28 year old Tiffany Dawn Greer lost control of the ATV while maneuvering a curve in the road and struck a ditch. She was transported by life flight to Scottish Rite Children’s hospital in Atlanta where she passed away.The driver, Tiffany Dawn Greer was charged with DUI, homicide by vehicle and driving too fast for conditions. Greer accepted a plea agreement in Polk County Superior Court on Monday, August 15, 2011 and was sentenced to serve two years. She is scheduled for release this month.Emily's grandfather, David Petty, has the following message for the community as well as a message for Tiffany Dawn Greer, who was charged in Emily's death."Emily Christine Clackum, who was killed in the four wheeler accident, was my grand-daughter. I want to hate someone. It was not an accident, it was an adult making a very stupid decision, but if you can't forgive, how can you expect to be forgiven in front of the LORD. It is such a shame that the same family has to be hurt twice over the same decision.” David says it is his hope that one person would read this and maybe save a life and a family, then one more person and so forth."David has this message for Tiffany Dawn Greer, who was charged in the death of his granddaughter, "Tiffany I forgive you and pray for you and your family"David's thoughts are that if this tragedy would change one person’s life, at least something good might come out of it.
  • James Thomas Sharp, age 33, and Charles Franklin “C.J.” Wells, Jr., age 18, were both killed in a fiery explosion on Aug. 22, 2011.The explosion occurred in a workshop garage located behind the residence located on Young’s Farm Road in Cedartown.According to Johnna Sharp, who was inside the house asleep, the explosion woke her up. When she got outside, she could hear someone calling for help, at that point the explosion had already occurred and the building was fully engulfed in flames and caved in.After hosing the fire down, generators were brought to the scene and lights were hooked up for searching. Two bodies were discovered inside.The two victims tried to get help before they died.The explosion was so massive that it left a debris field 100 feet in every direction. The cause of the explosion was never determined and remains a mystery to this day.
  • Frank Albert Pitman was 83-years-old when he went missing from his home on Lakeshore Drive in Rome.Pitman, who suffered from  Alzheimer’s was last seen working in his yard on Lakeshore Drive on July 24, 2011. Pitman was not reported missing until eight days after his disappearance.Several unsuccessful searches of the area were conducted including canine searches.In Sept. of 2011, a subcontractor for a local gas company discovered a decomposing body while working in the area along Ford Road in Floyd County. Investigators were unable to determine the identity of the body due to the state of decomposition. The body was sent to the GBI state crime lab and later determined to be the body of Mr. Pitman.
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, Northwest Georgia Crime Examiner

Tammy Overstreet is a freelance writer. Tammy has been writing for Examiner.com since 2009 providing crime-related news and a mix of information for Northwest Georgia. If you have an event, story idea or would like to be featured in an article, contact Tammy via e mail at polkcountycrimeexaminer...

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